A closer look
In 1440, Pope Eugene IV sold a chunk of land to Florence, but the surveyors completely forgot to include a tiny strip of territory between two rivers. The peasant residents of Cospaia instantly realized they were no longer governed by anyone and enthusiastically declared an independent anarchic republic. For nearly four hundred years, this accidental microstate thrived as a lawless, tax-free haven entirely dedicated to cultivating and smuggling absurd amounts of contraband tobacco.
