The Republic of San Marino planned a host of activities during this week to celebrate their National Day at Expo 2020.

San Marino’s presence at Expo Dubai reinforces its efforts to position itself as a resourceful country with a must-see tourist destination nestled within Northern Italy and easily accessible via key airports such as Rome and Bologna. San Marino is an independent country founded more than 1,700 years ago with 33,000 inhabitants.

The official ceremony at Al Wasl Plaza ceremony hosted by Expo 2020 Dubai was attended by delegations from San Marino and the UAE. The ceremony, held at the jewel of Expo 2020, included the flag-raising and speeches by the San Marino delegates and UAE institutions. This Instrumental moment was followed by performances that saw MSV + Giostremia and The Flagwavers Cultural Performers enthral the audience.

The flag and some videos of San Marino were projected on the most spectacular 360′ screen of the world with the anthem as a soundtrack followed by a Flagwavers and medalists Evening Parade to conclude the celebrations.

The San Marino Pavilion, located in the Opportunity District, is dedicated to replicating the “Treasure of Domagnano” found in San Marino in late 1800. The most important piece of the treasure, the fibula, is now at Louvre Abu Dhabi.

The pavilion tells the history and tradition of the country, its modern economic system based on tourism and innovative companies.

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence and Commissioner-General of Expo 2020 Dubai, represented the UAE as the host country at the formal ceremony.

Officials attending the San Marino National Day at the Expo were the two Heads of State, Francesco Mussoni and Giacomo Simoncini, the Republic of San Marino’s Minister for Tourism and Expo, Federico Pedini Amati; the Minister of Work and Sport; Teodoro Lonfernini, Minister of culture and instruction, Andrea Belluzzi; Minister of Economy and Industry, Fabio Righi; and GIAN Primo Giardi, The president of CONS – Sammarinese National Olympic Committee. Also attending will be the General Commissioner, Filippo Francini.

The celebrations included the San Marino Flagwavers Show across different Expo Plazas (Arrival, Earth, Sea and Sun). The San Marino Crossbow Men’s Federation, an artistic ensemble founded in 1956 by Master Giuseppe Rossi, dressed in traditional medieval costumes performed a historical commemoration of a typical medieval show.

This was followed by the San Marino Medalist Event at the San Marino Pavilion VIP Lounge to celebrate the first Olympic medals for a small country in the disciplines of fighting and shooting. Present were Alessandra Perilli and Gian Marco Berti, winners at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics in the skeet shooting discipline.