{"id":10915,"date":"2012-09-12T17:53:00","date_gmt":"2012-09-12T17:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cncadventures.com\/?p=10915"},"modified":"2020-06-10T18:24:27","modified_gmt":"2020-06-10T18:24:27","slug":"leaving-italy-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cncadventures.com\/?p=10915","title":{"rendered":"Leaving Italy"},"content":{"rendered":"

City of San Marino, San Marino, Wednesday, September 12, 2012<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

View Into Valley<\/p><\/div>\n

We will leave Italy today. A new country is on our horizon. However, we have to start our day off with breakfast. Today’s breakfast is a pretty nice spread of meats, cheese, yoghurt, fresh fruit, croissants, and assorted other items. Sometimes, I translate what I think they are saying to me and this morning was one of those times. Carol has a cappuccino and I want coffee so when she says solo caffe, I say si. I am thinking one coffee but when the coffee comes with no milk it dawns on me she was asking only coffee, no milk, or cream. So now I have to ask for milk and feel kind of stupid. Oh well, this is how we learn. I am picking up more words here and there but still wish I could speak the language better.
\nWe check out and the clerk asks if my name is Italiano. Our last name helps sometimes as I have been asked that quite a bit so it opens up some conversation. We walk to the station and get on the train to Rimini where we will catch a bus. This bus is planned as there is no train to the country we are visiting. At Rimini, I look into buying tickets for our trip to Genoa in two days while Carol goes outside to see if she can find the bus. We are both successful, I buy the train tickets and she buys our bus tickets and knows where the stop is. Great teamwork as the bus is supposed to leave in less than 10 minutes.
\nOur bus arrives and we stow our packs in the luggage compartment and board our double decker coach. We drive through the town of Rimini which is quite spread out and fairly big. A half hour later, we enter the country of San Marino. It is one of the smallest countries in the world and we are now in it. It has no port and is totally surrounded by Italy. How did they miss the unification of Italia and remain independent? In the old days, I would say check your Funk and Wagnalls, but some may not know what that means in today’s electronic age. The answer is that they helped Garibaldi, a leading revolutionary for Italian unification. He hid here from his enemies and the people lent him their uniforms so he blended in. When the cause was won, he remembered the good deed and spoke to allow San Marino to remain independent of the rest of Italy. So now it is an island country surrounded by land. Stamp collectors may know of San Marino from their vividly colorful stamps they have issued over the years.
\nWe soon start to climb up to the old city and Capitol way up on a hilltop. The road curves back and forth and we can now see the three castle towers on the hill. The bus station is just below the old town as they do not allow vehicles there during the day. We get off and get our bearings before we start our climb to the hotel. We serpentine steadily uphill through the small streets of the town and then up a quiet side street to the Hotel Rosa. Our room is not ready but we can leave our packs here so that is nice.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

It’s Breezy<\/p><\/div>\n

We had planned to just travel around town today and see the three towers tomorrow. However, the weather is supposed to change tonight and tomorrow so we decide to see them today. It is an uphill walk but a short one to the first tower, Castello La Guaita. It is a bit breezy but the temperature is nice, around 75 degrees. We walk around inside the castle walls. The turrets date back to the 11th century. There are a few displays but mostly it is just walking through the castle exploring the old prison, the walls, turrets, and bells tower. The views are phenomenal even though it is a little hazy towards the Aegean sea. We can see the second tower, Castello La Cesto on the next ridge over.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Climbing Up to the Turret<\/p><\/div>\n

Before we head over there, we go down to our hotel which is just below the first tower to use the restroom and see if the room is ready. It is so we move our stuff upstairs.,the room is nice with a balcony looking up at the Castello La Guaita and out the other way to the valley and Italy below. Refreshed, we walk on over to the second tower. This contains a small museum of historical weapons with medieval weaponry and armor. There are English signs also which is greatly appreciated. This is the highest point on Mount Titano. You also get to walk through the structure an up to the top of its turret as well as a small chapel. This fortress was used mainly as a sentry post with rooms for the guards.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Looking Towards Old Town<\/p><\/div>\n

Our last stop is a short walk down to the third tower, Montrale. The exact date of construction is not known and it is just a lone turret. It is supposed to contain a deep prison but you can’t go inside this one. There is a tree growing out of the wall so it must not have been used for a while. The walk between the second and third towers is very pleasant going through a wooded area, where several paths lead down below through the mostly oak forest.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Walking the Wall<\/p><\/div>\n

Arriving back at the second tower, I decide to walk along the old defense wall of the town. It is about 15-20 feet above the street, about 3 feet wide, and has no railing. You can survey all that is below on the other side. It is pretty cool walking along a close to 1000 year old stone walkway wondering if ours will be the steps that crumble it and close it down! As we approach the first tower we climb on down back to street level.<\/p>\n

We go through one of the inner defense gates to the old town and walk around to check out places to eat dinner and buy some wine to sit on our balcony with. We see a place with a nice menu and decide that it is where we will eat when it opens at 7:00. We see a liquor store and stroll in. The owner talks to us and asks where we are from. Turns out he is from Michigan and has lived here the last three years. We try some Grappa, pretty strong stuff, made from the skins of the grapes. We also try limoncello , which Carol does not like at all. Then we try a red wine called Cagnina which we both really like. Mike asked us if we would like a suggestion for dinner, turns out he suggests the same place where we had decided to eat. He says it is where all the locals go and that the chef is very passionate about his food. Mike calls and makes a reservation for us at 7:00pm. We tell Mike we will be back and head down to the small grocery store to check it out. It has the same type of wine, different vintner for a 1.50E cheaper, some reasonable white wine, and a small selection of the usual store items.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Piazza Della Liberta<\/p><\/div>\n

We continue walking toward the other end of town through Piazza della Liberta to a point called Il Cantonese where a funicular descends down to another old village and connects with the rest of the Republic. Piazza Della Liberta has the public palace and a changing of the guard every hour. On the way back we buy a bottle of white wine and a orange soda at the grocery store. A stop at Mikes place where I politely ask for a price of 4E for the wine instead of 5 and he says Ok. Back to the room to enjoy our balcony which is mostly sheltered from the breeze. The clouds are building so we are glad we did the towers today.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Restaurant Built Into Rock<\/p><\/div>\n

Later, we have a great meal of three kinds of pasta, grilled meats, roasted potato wedges, small salad, and dessert. It was phenomenal. Dessert was thinly sliced pineapple with lemon sorbet underneath, topped with small dollops of fig soaked in some kind of liquor. Incredible. We are thinking we may eat here again tomorrow. It has been a great day in the Republic of San Marino.
\nCNC
\n                                                                            “Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe” – Anatole France<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/b>Expenses
\n8.80E- 2 train tickets to Rimini
\n18E- 2 RT bus tickets to San Marino
\n4.80E- pizza for lunch
\n6E- entry to the castle towers
\n3.50E- wine and soda at market
\n4E- wine at M and N Liquor
\n38.50E- 3 course meal and wine at Cantina Di Bacco
\n71E- Hotel Rosa<\/p>\n

Miles Walked – 5.8 Miles<\/p>\n\n\t\t