Scuola Superiore di Studi Storici di San Marino
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UnclaimedA San Marino doctoral institute specializing in interdisciplinary historical studies and related humanities.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Scuola Superiore di Studi Storici di San Marino is a doctoral institution devoted to advanced research and teaching in history and associated humanities. Established in 1988 and inaugurated publicly in 1989, it operates administratively within the Department of History of the University of the Republic of San Marino. Its principal offering is a triennial doctorate in historical studies, designed as an intensive and interdisciplinary programme rather than as a conventional single-discipline history degree. The institution was conceived as an international academic experiment. Its teaching combines political, social, cultural, intellectual, economic and ancient history with methods and perspectives drawn from neighboring humanities disciplines. During the first two years of a doctoral cycle, students participate in concentrated lecture programmes led by scholars from San Marino, Italy and other countries. The third year is generally dedicated primarily to completing the doctoral thesis. Students defend their work in a viva voce examination, and the qualification is comparable to a PhD or DPhil in English-speaking systems. Italian, English and French are recognized as official working languages, and theses may be submitted in any of those languages. The Scuola's academic structure is built around a scientific council and a visiting scholarly network. Supervisors are commonly appointed from other universities, allowing doctoral candidates to work with specialists beyond the institution's small domestic academic environment. Students have come mainly from Italy and San Marino, while a substantial minority have originated elsewhere in Europe and around the world. Some entrants receive scholarships or other forms of full support. Its public profile has also been shaped by research publishing and intellectual debate. The Scuola collaborated with Einaudi on volumes in the Piccola biblioteca Einaudi series during the 1990s and began the Critica storica series with Il Mulino in 2010. It has hosted prominent historians, philosophers and social theorists, and has participated in exhibitions and conferences connected with historical memory, historiography and political thought. The institution's former director Luciano Canfora became especially visible through his challenge to the authenticity of the so-called Artemidorus papyrus, a controversy that later attracted prosecutorial attention in Turin. The Scuola remains a specialist postgraduate centre rather than a mass-market education provider. Its identity rests on selective doctoral training, international scholarly exchange, language plurality and close engagement with major debates in historical interpretation. Alumni have included academics, public officials, diplomats and political figures in Italy, San Marino, Poland and France.
History
The Scuola Superiore di Studi Storici di San Marino was established in 1988 as an advanced centre for historical studies associated with the University of the Republic of San Marino. Its public inauguration took place on 30 September 1989. The opening lecture was delivered by the historian Eugenio Garin on Polybius and Machiavelli, in the presence of Federico Mayor Zaragoza, then director-general of UNESCO, and Fausta Morganti, San Marino's secretary of state responsible for public and higher education and culture. The lecture was later edited and published by the San Marino ministry responsible for education and culture, and subsequently reissued by Einaudi alongside an introductory essay and a historical text. From its beginning, the Scuola was organized around a three-year doctoral programme. The first three cycles ran between 1989 and 1995; following an interruption, the programme resumed in 1999. Unlike a narrowly specialized doctorate, the course was designed to expose students to a broad range of historical methods and neighboring humanities. Intensive lectures occupy the first two years, while the final year is principally dedicated to the doctoral thesis. Candidates may work in Italian, English or French, and the degree is awarded after assessment of the thesis and an oral defense. Scholarships have been available to some students, and the student body has included candidates from Italy, San Marino and numerous other countries. The institution's academic governance has relied on a scientific council composed of established scholars from Italy and abroad. Visiting supervisors and invited lecturers have supplemented the permanent structure. Its scholarly network has included figures associated with ancient history, medieval and modern history, political thought, philosophy, cultural history and social theory. Among the academics connected with its activities have been Jacques Le Goff, Umberto Eco, Eric Hobsbawm, Carlo Ginzburg, Michael Crawford, Remo Bodei, Andrea Giardina, Romano Prodi, Silvia Ronchey and many other prominent scholars. This network helped give the small San Marino institution a wider European and international academic reach. Aldo Schiavone served as the first director from 1989 to 1994. After the institutional pause, Luciano Canfora became director in 1999 and was closely associated with the Scuola's subsequent public identity. The institution has also developed a publishing role. In cooperation with Einaudi, it contributed several titles to the Piccola biblioteca Einaudi series from 1993 to 1997. In 2010 it began the Critica storica series with the Bologna-based publisher Il Mulino, extending its role from teaching into the dissemination of historical scholarship. The Scuola marked its twentieth anniversary on 27 February 2009 with a ceremony attended by San Marino's Captains Regent. Canfora presided over a programme of lectures by Maurice Aymard, Giuseppe Galasso and Adriano Prosperi. That year, historian and columnist Sergio Romano publicly praised the University of San Marino and described the Scuola as an excellent institution of advanced study attended by accomplished scholars. The institution became involved in one of the most prominent authenticity disputes in recent Italian cultural scholarship through Canfora's criticism of the Artemidorus papyrus. The papyrus had attracted attention in the late 1990s and was purchased by the Compagnia San Paolo Art Foundation in 2004 for 2.75 million euros. Canfora argued through a series of publications that it was a modern forgery, initiating a sustained public and scholarly controversy. In 2018, Turin prosecutors investigated the matter as a possible large-scale fraud. The case illustrates the Scuola's wider role as a venue for critical historical inquiry, although the controversy concerned the artifact and its acquisition rather than an institutional financial matter. The Scuola and its university surroundings have also supported collections and public academic events. In 2010, the University Library displayed significant holdings from the Young Collection at the Turin International Book Fair. The collection contains works and artifacts related to memory and mnemonic techniques, including early printed books and later monographs. In September 2023, the Scuola hosted the annual conference of the Italian Association of History of Political Thought, devoted to forms and cultures of war and lessons from classical sources. Its alumni have included historians, diplomats, elected officials and government ministers. Examples identified in reference material include Krzysztof Olendzki, Marie-José or Marie Judith Revel, Sergio Luzzatto, Michele Chiaruzzi, Nicola Renzi, Antonio Natalicchio, Roberto Gualtieri and Marie Favereau. The Scuola's continuing significance lies in its selective doctoral model, interdisciplinary curriculum, multilingual operation and ability to connect San Marino with broader international debates in historical scholarship.
- 2023
Political thought conference hosted
[1]The Scuola hosted the annual conference of the Italian Association of History of Political Thought on forms and cultures of war.
- 2022
Honorary doctorate awarded to Alessandro Barbero
[1]The Scuola awarded an honorary doctorate to historian Alessandro Barbero.
- 2021
Honorary doctorate awarded to Andrea Riccardi
[1]The Scuola awarded an honorary doctorate to Andrea Riccardi.
- 2010
Critica storica series launched
[1]The Scuola launched the Critica storica series in partnership with Il Mulino.
- 2010
Young Collection exhibited in Turin
[1]The University Library presented important Young Collection materials at the Salone Internazionale del Libro in Turin.
- 2009
Twentieth-anniversary celebration
[1]The Scuola celebrated two decades from its foundation with a formal event and lectures by prominent historians.
- 1999
Doctoral programme resumes
[1]After a hiatus following the first three cycles, the doctoral series resumed, with Luciano Canfora serving as director.
- 1993
Einaudi publishing collaboration begins
[1]The Scuola began contributing to the Piccola biblioteca Einaudi series, a collaboration that continued through 1997.
- 1989
Public inauguration and first doctoral cycle
[1]The Scuola was inaugurated on 30 September with a lecture by Eugenio Garin. Its first three-year doctoral cycle began during this period.
- 1988
Institution established
[1]The Scuola Superiore di Studi Storici di San Marino was established as an advanced historical-studies institution linked to the University of the Republic of San Marino.
Products and positioning
A selective, internationally oriented doctoral centre distinguished by interdisciplinary historical training, multilingual scholarship and visiting faculty drawn from leading European and global academic networks.
Doctoral education · 1989
Doctorate in Historical Studies
The Scuola's central offering is a triennial doctorate equivalent in level to a PhD or DPhil. It combines intensive interdisciplinary teaching in the first two years with concentrated thesis research in the third. Candidates may submit work in Italian, English or French and must pass a viva voce examination. Supervisors are frequently drawn from other universities, while selected students receive scholarships.
Academic publishing · 2010
Critica storica
Critica storica is a scholarly publication series launched by the Scuola in 2010 in collaboration with Il Mulino. The series extends the institution's work beyond doctoral teaching by providing a channel for historical research and critical historiographical discussion.
Academic publishing · 1993
Piccola biblioteca Einaudi collaborations
Between 1993 and 1997, the Scuola collaborated with Einaudi on several volumes in the Piccola biblioteca Einaudi series. The work reflected its early role in editing and disseminating historical scholarship.
Controversies
2018
Artemidorus papyrus authenticity controversy
Director Luciano Canfora argued that the Artemidorus papyrus was a forgery after the object had been promoted and purchased by the Compagnia San Paolo Art Foundation. Turin prosecutors investigated the matter in 2018 as a possible large-scale fraud. The controversy was a scholarly and legal dispute involving an artifact, not a finding of misconduct by the Scuola itself.
Brand decisions
2010
Expand into a dedicated historical publishing seriesStrategyBackground
After earlier collaboration with Einaudi, the Scuola sought to strengthen its role in scholarly dissemination.
Action taken
It launched the Critica storica series with Il Mulino.
Aftermath
The initiative gave the institution an additional platform for historical research and historiographical debate.
Sources1 sources
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