The main reason I know of San Marino, is that they are pretty rubbish at football. And that it's a country. A very, very, very, small country.
With me being relatively close during my month in Italy, it made perfect sense to pay a visit, and tick the country off the list. On the second day of my stay in Ancona, I took the train up to Rimini, a place I had visited earlier in the month, and then a coach to San Marino.
These coaches were great, running every hour from opposite Rimini station, and taking around 45 minutes. Here's the website I used to check times, and you can buy your ticket on the bus (cost 5 Euro's). I think there was also an option to buy tickets in a shop 20 yards or so from the bus stop as well. The bus wasn't too busy, and off we headed high into the mountains.
When I say high, I mean high. Like proper high. You'll hopefully get an idea by looking at some of the photos I'll share in the post later on. Apologies for beating the lack of preparation drum, but that was once again the case here, as apart from sorting my transport, I didn't know what San Marino would bring. Once again, I was pleasantly surprised!
The historical centre of San Marino feels like a big fort, protecting itself from Italy and the outside world. There are large exterior walls surrounding charming shops, squares and markets inside, as well as defence towers. There is also a Greek style temple, of course.
It was really busy on the day I visited, and also quite confusing. I was walking around, making my way through the crowds, and started seeing people dressed as various comic book characters. Was I hallucinating? We were 2,457 feet up. Does altitude sickness induce visions of Spiderman, Harry Potter et al? It turns out it doesn't, and I'd just timed my visit to coincide with the San Marino comic festival!
It certainly added something to the visit, and it was lovely to see young children posing with their dressed-up heroes. There were a number of shows, and everyone I saw seemed more than happy to take photos, or stop for a chat. It was really nice to see.
There was a real mix of characters roaming the streets, and check out this terrifying fellow I sneakily took a photo of (does anyone know the character?). It's slightly blurry as I didn't want him to see what I was doing, obviously.
I kept walking, making my way away from the crowds, and visited the various towers. I say visited, I just had a look and took photos. You can pay to get in and scale the walls, but I didn't bother with that. The towers reminded me of home and Wales, so that was a welcome bonus.
I decided to keep walking the path, even though it was getting quieter, and I can safely say that was the correct decision. Some of the views I experienced were incredible, and I really got an idea of just how elevated we were. I've mentioned previously about my strange relationship with heights, and here, despite some humongous drops, I felt safe in what I was doing. I would even venture closer to the edges to get a photo, not overly worried that there were some massive drops mere feet away. I don't wish to glorify this in any way, just pointing out the somewhat paradoxical feelings I have towards heights.
I started walking back towards the centre, eyeing up the various food places en route. In the end, I found a supermarket and bought a turkey sandwich. I'm a simple man. There were also a number of designer style shops, and a disturbingly large number of shops selling weapons (knives, air guns, samurai swords etc.). It's an interesting mix to say the least. I headed back to the bus stop early, as didn't want to risk missing the last bus back, and that was that.
I'd had a wonderful afternoon in San Marino, and loved exploring this unique place. If you're anywhere near, I wholeheartedly recommend you make a visit. It's easy to get to, and certainly worth it. I'll leave you with this photo to keep my legion of female fans (my girlfriend) happy. Remember to be cool like me, and wear a mask (Shout out mama grimbs for making me a load to take on my travels).
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