One day in San Marino

San Marino is a country and we were passing right by it! Er, then a stop was a no-brainer.. Clark knew about the country because of its football team…the one everyone wants in their qualifying group (I get the impression they are often beaten, by a lot. Hey, they have a team). These were our thoughts when we were driving back from Marche and after having such a great time, we were keen to extend the trip (and continue to enjoy the very sunny, warm weather).

What is San Marino?

The Republic of San Marino is not part of the EU or Italy, but is a separate country landlocked by Italy, with Marche to the south. This is the 4^th smallest country in the world (The Vatican and Monaco are one and two). Mr Google says it has managed to stay independant because of it’s hilly position.

What to see in San Marino

The city of San Marino is perched on top of Mount Titano, 749m high and is only 7 square kilometers in size. So it would be easy to tour the city in one day. What did we find?

The three towers

Definitely the highlight of the city are its famous 3 towers – the symbol of the city. Each one perched high on a cliff edge with a cobbled path linking the three. It’s possible to go inside the first two towers (we were numpties and bought separate tickets, the multi museum ticket works out cheaper) and a walk out to the third is definitely worth it just for the views. Our walk was in the morning, but they were so amazing and unique that we decided to visit them again at sunset to catch them in a different light. A great idea as the pictures show.

Statues, shopping and scenery

The city is a labyrinth of small cobbled streets lined with medieval buildings. It is photography heaven and we were in our element.

Tax free shopping – we were surprised by the amount of shops, until we learned it was tax free shopping. You could say it was a bit touristy, but hey, if you want to buy leather, perfumes, clothes or weapons (I know, random, but apparently they have different gun laws than Italy).

Art and sculptures – dotted around the city there are some stunning bronze statues and we found a quiet square for lunch that has an unusual fountain.

The cable car

Good for views and to get from the bottom of Mount Titano to the city, but honestly not worth it just for the trip. You can see everything from the top.

Is it worth staying the night?

We decided to stay in the city itself for an evening. Was it worth it? Yes, definitely. We stayed in the Titan suites hotel in the city centre, with a fantastic view from our room. We figured after our cost effective stay in Marche we could go a bit fancy for a night. Extra bonus; their restaurant La Terrazza has probably one of the best views in the city.