2016Malta - San Marino Joint Issue - Miniature Sheet

The common theme chosen by MaltaPost and Poste San Marino is fortifications in the two respective states.
The stamps are in a miniature sheet format depicting the in Gozo and the Prima Torre in San Marino, which structures both served to protect and shelter their respective inhabitants.

The Gozo

The is a small, fortified city located at the centre of Gozo, overlooking the city of Victoria.
The name 'was given to the fort by the Knights of St John. Previously known as Gaulcouis Civitas it served different purposes along the years; it was an administrative centre during the Phoenician and Roman times, a temple in the Classical era and served as an urban settlement during the 16th century. Eventually the people of Gozo used it as a shelter from foreign forces.

Within the also lies Gozo Cathedral, the Cathedral Museum, the Law Courts, the Old Prison, the Gozo Museum of Archaeology, the Folklore Museum, the Citadel Armoury and the Natural Science Museum.

The San Marino's Prima Torre
This is the major and oldest of the three towers overshadowing the city of San Marino. Two circles of defensive walls surround it with the inner ones, embellished by merlons and supported with angular towers on the corners, having been lowered in the 16th century. These pertained to the first wall circle or the Guaita wall circle and were built to defend the inhabited area. The inner walls are the most ancient ones and characterised by a raised entrance. They include the Bell Tower, the cells of garrisons, and the stronghold (donjon), which was rebuilt during the second half of the 15th century.
Traces of further restructuring are visible, however the numerous structural interventions that took place mostly in the 15th and 16th centuries did not substantially alter the aspect of the defensive complex as it still remains austere and unadorned. The Tower was opened to the public after the latest restructuring carried out in around 1930.