Weekend trip to the oldest country in the whole wide world: San Marino

Roca Guaita, San Marino

I think international travel during the weekend is not common within Latin America, as distance and prices are not viable for such short periods of time. For example, only in Chile, to get from one place to another it can be easily like 2 hours by plane.

It is only by coming to Europe that such things you can easily manage once in a while! Everything here is seems to be so close by! This is how we came to organize a weekend to San Marino ☀️.

Have you heard of San Marino before? It is a micro state, the oldest of its kind in the whole wide world. This means, there is not other country in the world older than San Marino.

Tower Cresta or Fratta (one of the three on Monte Titano).

It is located in the middle of Italian territory, very much like another well-known micro state: the Vatican. So very much international if you ask me. Very much in line with this weekend’s @galenkp challenge [117]!

I went to San Marino with some friends and my brother when I first arrived to Italy for my travels and study. The little understanding I had about how Italy can help explain what happened to us on the trip. Not only had I not heard of this place at all (so don’t feel bad if it’s the first time you read of San Marino), as I come from Chile, but we got lost on our way there.

Yes yes.. in the middle of 2022, with full functioning internet, I got us lost.

The adventure started like this: we rented a car because access to San Marino is not as easy by public transport. We planned ahead and decided to just go by car, because this way we would have more freedom to move around and go wherever we want to.

Copilot duties

I was the copilot so I just entered in google maps “San Marino” and selected the first entry. I thought: Of course this very well known country (I have never heard of before) would show up first, no?. Well, no. We drove for about an hour before we realized I had made a big mistake.

As it turns out, apparently, a lot of streets in Italian towns are called San Marino (to my horror) and so I had directed our group into another place, in another direction. This unplanned stop “somewhere” had increased our driving trip a lot, when originally it was going to be an hour and a half tops.

Views of the valley when we had lost our way, near Barbotto

OK … OK … maybe I am exaggerating a lot with this. A little drama makes life more fun especially on a weekend out. Also, a good thing about this mistake is that we got to drive around beautiful hills and see very nice sites of Italian countryside. But this is forcing the spirit a little bit. Believe me, my friends were not super happy with me. We were excited to see San Marino and I just delayed the fun.

As we approached San Marino, we saw what this estate is famous for: the towers in the peak of Monte Titano that overlook the valley. We parked the car below the city center, as it is designed for pedestrians and not cars. We found a very nice parking lot and we walked up.

San Marino will surprise you with very nice streets to walk in, monuments, restaurantes and museums. It is also definitely a nice place to see because of its towers and hills that overlook the valleys of Italy. Because of its history and constructions in the historical center, San Marino has been recognized by UNESCO and listed as one of the world heritage heritage sites since 2008.

My brother in from of the San Marino Cathedral. He is an architect, thus he makes photos of weird angles and light contrasts. We have captured these moments perfectly here.

Rocca Guaita is the most famous (and oldest and biggest) of its towers and the one you can see in the pictures I post with this blog entry. The other two towers are Cresta or Fratta (also in the pictures I show you) and Montale. Other beautiful sights are San Marino cathedral and the “Piazza della liberta”. All of these we explored by foot in a couple of hours, as the center is very very small.

My friends and I on our trip to San Marino. In the back, Tower Fratta.

Walking towards the tower Fratta or Cresta

A lot of things about this tiny state were new to me, including a big amount of luxury goods or weapons in stores that were open for tourists and shoppers. I learned it was because of the taxes and local regulations that are independent from that of Italy as a whole. You can find alcohol, perfumes and jewellery cheaper here.

View from Piazza della Liberta. In one side of the Monte, towards the valley. San Marino is built like terraces.

Tip for the wise: Check with your phone company about roaming and San Marino being or not part of what is covered by your plan, because it may be an extra cost you had not contemplated.

We did this weekend outing you could combine with other cities or towns around! Like Rimini or San Leo (Italian cities). The first is a perfect beach place, and the second, towers similarly to San Marino over rocks and is famous for its medieval constructions. Very beautiful too! So if you are around Emilia Romagna in Italy, go check this place out.

Enjoying Italian sights from San Marino. If you have a thing with heights, this might not be the best destination for you.

Talk to you soon!