Acquaviva

Acquaviva occupies San Marino's western slopes, its name ('living water') referencing the springs that made permanent settlement possible on Mount Titano. The castello demonstrates how micro-states preserve medieval administrative structures: each of San Marino's nine castelli elects a Castle Captain and Castle Council every five years, maintaining governance scales that larger nations abandoned centuries ago. San Marino's claim as the world's oldest republic (traditionally founded 301 AD by Saint Marinus fleeing Roman persecution) creates path dependence so extreme that 1,700 years of continuous governance shapes every institution. With GDP per capita of $62,000 (12th globally), even small castelli benefit from the republic's economic model—though banking deposits collapsed from €14 billion (2008) to €5.2 billion after international pressure ended tax haven status. The 2010 abolition of anonymous companies and 2017 end of banking secrecy forced economic model transformation. By 2026, EU association agreement completion could accelerate structural reforms while tourism (continuing its post-pandemic boom) sustains the service economy.