Lake Faetano, half a hectare of water for anglers

San Marino has no coastline, and its lake fits into half a hectare. Lake Faetano is a man-made fishing pond beside the Marano road, a stone’s throw from Italy, and anyone expecting an Alpine scene is in for a letdown. I still think it deserves a page, because plenty of people ask about it and because, approached the right way, it fits neatly into a morning round the eastern castelli.

A lake built for angling

The government puts it plainly on the page for Faetano. Along the Marano road there’s a man-made lake for sport fishing that draws anglers all year round. Wikipedia supplies the numbers. Work began in 1968, it opened in 1971, it’s 120 metres long and 40 wide, 3.80 metres deep when full, and covers 0.36 hectares, roughly half a football pitch. The same entry says the bed was fully dredged in 1983 and the banks rebuilt in 2001, so it’s a lake that has been looked after rather than left to silt up.

The figure I like best is the last one. According to the same source, the lake is just 40 metres from Italy, near the Marano stream, which forms the border along this stretch. It’s one of those details that explains San Marino better than any map, a country so small that its lake almost touches the neighbours.

Can you fish at Lake Faetano?

Yes, that’s the point of it. According to Wikipedia, in winter it’s given over to trout and for the rest of the year to other kinds of fishing, with carp, catfish and grass carp. The San Marino sport angling federation is based here, at Strada del Marano 101, in a new building opened in 2014 in memory of a former president, and its website used to post the results of the national trout-fishing championship.

Now the less convenient part. The federation’s website has summer and winter rules sections, but they’re empty, and it hasn’t been updated since 2016. I haven’t found in any official source what permit you need, what it costs or when the lake opens. If you’re bringing a rod, I’d ring the federation or the lakeside bar first; the numbers are in the table above. I’d rather tell you that than invent a price.

What to do if you don’t fish

If you don’t fish, the lake is good for a short stop, and the appeal is what’s around it. The government describes the Parco del Marano as a green area following the river on the San Marino side, a meeting place for villagers and a regular venue for their festivals, with a walking route for longer outings. Wikipedia adds that there’s a refreshment point by the lake, so a drink while you watch the anglers is a realistic plan.

With children, I think it works well, as watching someone land a trout holds their attention better than a lot of museums. There are more ideas in San Marino with kids. What I wouldn’t do is come for a swim. I haven’t seen any source allowing it, and for swimming the sensible move is to head down to the coast, as I explain in the nearest beaches to San Marino.

The Lake San Marino that isn’t this one

One confusion needs sorting out. Search for «Lake San Marino» and you’ll get adverts for houses and an RV resort in Naples, Florida. It has nothing to do with the Republic. San Marino’s lake is this one in Faetano, a pond for anglers with a bar alongside.

Getting there and fitting it in

By car it’s straightforward. From Faetano village you drop down to the Marano road, the one heading towards Rimini, and the lake sits beside it. Without a car, the circular 3D and 3S buses call at Faetano village on weekdays, and you walk down from there. On Sundays there’s SMUVI, the on-demand minibus I cover in getting around San Marino.

Here’s the route I’d take. Go up to Faetano’s square to see the church of St Paul and the Casone, drop down to the lake, walk a stretch of the Parco del Marano and carry on to Montegiardino, on the same southern loop. It’s a morning with no queues, and a San Marino of fields and water you won’t find on the postcards.