San Marino

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 commenced from where the San Marino bus tickets are procured. Short of whispering 'Roberto sent me' to the shop attendant, it all felt very covert and a peculiar vendor to purchase a bus ticket to a neighbouring country.

It was actually all very straight-forward and not before too long, the bus wound it's way up montane roads to this altitudinal principality. This in itself was a surprise, I had no idea how lofty Marinas (the capital) was. On arrival, the views even from the bus stop were very impressive.

The hotel was located very close to the Bus terminus which was very convenient. It also had a nice little spa down in the basement which I took advantage of for a couple of hours during the heat of the afternoon.

And so, the following 24-hours were whiled-away traversing quaint streets, testing my stamina along the inclines which I can imagine could be a challenge for some. There is much to impress, the views are spectacular, passing historical buildings, standard tourist retail trappings and some lovely restaurants.

I dined at the Restaurante Bolognese, the food was incredible and the Tiramasu for dessert was presumably created by angels.

The 'three towers of San Marino' (Guaita, Cesta and  Montale) trail is a must, and best in the morning before the day-trippers from Rimini arrive. It felt like I had the place to myself, which wasn't the case during the walk back when the crowds had arrived. Spending a night there was a good plan. En route and in the quiet of the morning, there were some fairly interesting birds noted including three black redstart, four firecrest, three serin and a short-toed treecreeper.

It got quite crowded during the middle part of the day, it was hot too which made walking around quite a sweaty activity, but as the day progressed, the number of tourists dissipated and by the evening, it was much more relaxing, a bit cooler, and very pleasant indeed. The elevated position provided lovely sunset views from the western parapet.

The following day returning back eastward, a wander round Rimini old town was typically agreeable with plenty to fill the senses. It was another hot day so a quick tram ride to the beachside area didn't provide the hoped-for cooler conditions but did yield a flock of Italian sparrow and subsistence at one of the eateries there. It was very quiet for a beachside resort.

San Marino is obscenely underrated, it deserves a visit and an overnight stay there is wholly recommended.