The
Postcard Republic.
© Travel Notes
San Marino
is perhaps one of the few countries who will never get to play in the elite World Cup
tournament, but the small republic gets thousands of visitors a day, during the summer.
The impressive walls of the fortress on the
hill is looked at from the Adriatic coast like an off-colour crown in a clear-glass case.
No hill tribes populate the 61 sq. km. territory between the Italian regions of
Emilia-Romagna and Marche-Montfelto. The language of the court is of course Italian, and
you will not need a passport to travel there from Italy.
San Marino
-- © Travel
Notes
In less than forty-five minutes you will be
able to forget the sandy strip of Rimini with its endless colour of beach-umbrellas,
sun-loungers, and bronzed bodies paradng the latest trend in swimwear.
If you loose yourself in the Republicca di
San Marino tourist literature, your mind will transport itself back to an age
medieval, where horses were used for more than racing, and men lived by the sword. Past
generations of the hill repbulic were also quick to defend their walls and liberty with
crossbows when needed.
To bring this history alive, traditional
crossbow tournaments are now staged in memory of the founding fathers; every third day in September.
Legend has it that a stone-cutter, named
Marinus, left his native island of Arbe in Dalmatia to establish a small community of
Christians anxious to escape the persecutions of the Emperor Diocletian.
Stamps of San Marino
-- © Travel
Notes
Unfortunately, there is no escape from the
hoards of tourists who follow each other to the Postcard Republic. The famous stamps of
San Marino may not be as beautifully crafted as they were half a century ago, but
collectors still treasure them and the country has continued to mint its own coins.
Italian Lira is used everywhere, but the republic's own small change will not be accepted
in Italy proper.
There are no longer any border formalities at
Dogana, so the only green channel that you pass through is
the countryside. The agricultural income generated from such a tiny territory can best be
described as modest, yet the San Marinese boast one of the highest per capita incomes in
Europe; earned almost entirely from tourism.
Japanese Tourist in San Marino.
Although the tourist office would like to
promote San Marino as a holiday destination, most of the visitors to the historic centre
only give the place a day. There are camping grounds in the hills below the castle, and a
couple of hotels in the capital for the people who think that perhaps it is the playground
of Rimini that only warrants a day.
The San Marino F1 Grand
Prix, is in fact held in Imola.
Omniway:
Head and shoulders above any other resource on San Marino.
San Marino @
Travel Notes:
More text about the republic if you would like to read more, along with a few practical
links to help you further. |
