Setting ourselves the target to visit (together) a total of 70 countries by Christmas 2015 took a little bit of planning. It was during Christmas 2014 when we found ourselves with plenty of spare time on a cruise ship, that we took inventory of the countries visited (approximately 40) and decided that 30 more would be achievable. So that led us to pick some micro-countries as 'easy wins' and the proximity of the Republic of San Marino to our Italian destinations and onward travel to the Balkan states meant that we could afford a day's detour.
The day before heading to San Marino, we looked up the bus timetable to target a specific departure time. We planned our morning to ensure that we could get to the bus stop (opposite Rimini's train station) with plenty of time to spare. Travel forums had suggested that during the weekend summer peak time, the buses were likely to be full and the bus stop would turn into a bit of a charade of people pushing their way on-board.
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| The bus stop to San Marino |
When we arrived at the bus stop, a few tourists were already there and had staked their claim to the front position. We bought our tickets from a stand in the shade and proceeded to form the queue.
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| The stand to purchase bus tickets to San Marino |
From memory, when the number 72 Bonelli Bus arrived, it stopped short of the true bus stop. This gave people standing at the end of the queue the advantage of being the first people to board the bus. This caused some panic in the crowd and everyone surged forward. Definitely not a time to exert our adopted British politeness in respecting the queue and it was everyone for themselves to get a seat.
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| The bus to San Marino |
Arriving in another country
The bus ride was short as San Marino is only 10km away from Rimini. The capital is located on Mount Titano at an altitude of 657m above sea level. The bus dropped us off at the main car-park and then it was up to us to climb the medieval stone stairs to the main tourist sites that included the city hall and the three towers that are displayed on the national flag and coat of arms.
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| Climbing our way to the top - practice for the Inca Trail |
Walking up the mountain
San Marino is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the well-preserved city walls draw in the curious tourists like ourselves who are keen to tick another country off the list. Whilst the walk up the zig-zag paths was not sheltered from the summer heat, we tried not to loiter in one spot else be targeted by enthusiastic magnet or trinket sellers.
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| San Marino - a mountain Republic |
Weapons for sale
San Marino is a buzz for commerce and being a separate Republic has its benefits from a 'duty-free' status. We picked up two pairs of travel binoculars from an army supplies store (for our safari in Africa) and admired (but not purchased) the extensive range of weaponry (replica firearms, crossbows, knives) that was also on sale. Buying a samurai sword would not have helped our passage through various customs checkpoints for the remainder of our trip.
As it was close to lunchtime (and we didn't want to pay a handful of euros for toilet facilities), we fueled up on beer and schnitzel at the La Terrazza restaurant that occupied center stage of the panoramic terrace.
After our meal, we wandered around the main plaza where the 'Public Palace' (town hall) is located. At the time we didn't see the resemblance, but after some prompting from Wikipedia when researching for this blog - the hall is very similar in architectural style to the Palazzo Vecchio - Florence's town hall building.
Feeling energized, we decided to walk to the three towers and paid close to 10 euro for a museum ticket that gave us access to two of the towers. The first, Castello Della Guaita was constructed in the 11th century, although rebuilt after a war in the 15th century
We walked along the old walls and enjoyed the view from the windows that were partially blocked with wooden shutters either to recreate the medieval style or to prevent people from climbing out and accidentally falling.
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| View from a window with shutters |
The next tower 'Cesta' is on the highest point of the mountain. Hiking to the tower took a fair bit of energy and we passed by exhausted fellow travelers lining the walkway. But the views overlooking the countryside were well worth the effort.
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| The path to the second tower |
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| View of the countryside |
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| Looking down from the path to the third tower |
In the early afternoon we started to make our way down the mountain to the bus stop. Anxious to ensure that we could get a seat on the last bus (and not be stuck in San Marino for the night), we got to the bus parking bay a lot earlier than necessary and ended up working on our tan for a good 40 minutes. Farewell San Marino.
Next blog post:
Ancona, Italy
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