I have multiple travel goals that do not exactly scream "obvious". One of the countries on top of my wishlist is Kyrgyzstan, another is Palau - none of those show up on many lists for sure!
Before I get to live all those dreams, however, I aim a bit smaller. I want to visit all the tiny countries and microstates of Europe. The list includes Andorra, Monaco, Vatican City, Faroe Islands, Liechtenstein, Malta, Luxembourg and the star of this post - San Marino. Note that due to my completely unexplainable excitement regarding the country, there will be more text than usual!
The Destination
The view from atop Monte Titano - the mountain of San Marino
We visited San Marino as a part of a bigger trip - the same one that included Seville, which I wrote about in my previous post. Check that out if you haven't, some beautiful photos await you! Getting to San Marino was tricky in itself. The universe wanted to make it exciting and it sure did.
To be perfectly honest, I planned the entire first half of the trip just to be sure we can see San Marino. We landed in Bologna, took a train to Rimini (which is a great beach town by the way!) and that's where our problems started. The bus stops we were supposed to be at - they were out of service! Not very fortunate after a whole day of traveling to have no clue where to go. This was made worse by the fact that back in Bologna itself, we spent about 2 hours trying to buy train tickets.
Once we made it to the bus to San Marino, however, everything got much better. The ride was quite scenic, as the country is situated in the mountains - or well, to be more true to its size: on a mountain. After an hour bus ride, we made it to our hotel, and our stay in San Marino began. I did not have high expectations, as I like to approach my dream destinations without those - but I fell in love instantly. Is it stunning? Is it the most beautiful place in the world? Most likely not, but it is charming - that has to be the best word to describe it.
What you have to know about San Marino is that it has only 33000 inhabitants and is the 3rd smallest country in Europe - bigger only than Vatican City and Monaco. To add another interesting fact to the mix: it is also one of the oldest republics in the world! This makes it an enticing destination - at least for me.
Our Trip
We spent one full day in San Marino - we arrived in the night, stayed two nights and left at 6 in the morning. This is likely the perfect amount of time if you want to have an action-packed day. While it's an awesome place, it is still tiny enough that a day or two is sufficient to see everything.
And oh boy, were there treats to do and see! I've shown the view already, which is quite breathtaking, but there is more than that. Citta di San Marino is the capital of the country and it is already quite a bit up, but you can hike even higher to reach the peaks of Monte Titano. The hike is very pleasant and you do not need to be particularly fit to get it done - though I can imagine it being a bit more difficult if it gets hot outside. It is quite scenic, as you pass by a lot of old monuments and are surrounded by nature. The air is fresh and there are no crowds - sure there are tourists, but San Marino is still quite overlooked; it is so tiny after all!
All those are from the way to the top!
The buildings you see on pictures are towers. There are three of them and they are the symbol of San Marino - Guaita, Chesta and Montale. The whole hike is essentially walking from Tower 1 to Tower 2 to Tower 3. It is possible to visit the towers for a small fee (or at least it was when we were there!) and they definitely add to the already charming country.
Aside from the hike, you can also wander the Citta di San Marino itself. It looks quite a bit like a typical small Italian city, as might be expected given the location. Adorably decorated narrow streets make you want to walk around as much as possible, while constantly taking pictures, while the city center is filled with cafes, restaurants and a viewpoint.
Tiny walkways of San Marino
Mark of a real city - a fountain in the center!
Overall, we absolutely loved our day in San Marino. It was filled with action, we easily surpassed 20000 steps and made beautiful memories to look back on. We even had an encounter with the police, as we found someone's ID and decided to bring it to the police station. Now we can say we have interacted with the Sammarinese police - not many can! We tried some local cuisine: we drank Sammarinese wine and had a Piada - a Sammarinese take on flatbread - for breakfast.
Let this post be a reminder that sometimes beauty awaits where you least expect it - or in that place you've been overlooking the whole time! I cannot wait to visit some of the other microstates and small countries - especially excited for the mountainous Andorra and Liechtenstein.