randombirder

Across the decades, it has been difficult to separate San Marino with Formula One. As a passive fan of the F1 circus, memories are inevitably drawn to the tragic grand prix weekend of 1994 at Imola that saw the lives of Roland Ratzenburger and the late great Ayrton Senna perish during a long period where the sport was perilously dangerous and where the safety of drivers were inevitably compromised for entertainment. No one remembers the Rubens Barrichello crash either that could so easily have gone the same way. 'I remember where I was' moments, as a late teenager staring out at the mid-distance of my bedroom window barely comprehending what had unfolded over that ill-fated weekend. And so, those events have been inextricably linked to the country itself. It's taken me until now to visit this small autonomous country located an hour bus ride from the coastal town of Rimini.  From there, a two-Euro bus heads straight into the city where the search for the Tabacconist commenc...