If you would like to see details about our journey, check out our itinerary and our bike route.
I admit it: I was the one who wanted to visit San Marino, one of two small self-governing states within the boundaries of Italy (the other one is the Vatican). Do I recommend going there? Probably not. Although, actually, we did have a good day.
We started with a big buffet breakfast at the hotel and a fairly flat road. The bikes were working, the Wahoos were working, the phones were working. We were ready for anything.
Wow. It was hot. The air temperature was only 85, but the road temperature--the heat rolling up from the pavement--was 101.
At about mile 10, we knew the forgiving, gentle climb was soon going to pitch up and we would be cooking even more in the sun. We stopped at a bar and bought tea, ice cream, and water.
The next 5 miles were increasingly steep but ridable. At mile 15, we started the really steep climb into the walled country/city, and mostly walked from there.
The entire country of San Marino is contained within stone walls, the roads are steep and narrow, brick and cobblestone, often with steps. Only pedestrian are allowed inside the porte; cars and buses park outside the walls.
When we arrived at about 14:30, the streets were completely jammed with shoppers and tourists. San Marino may have been charming years ago, but now it is just a big shopping mall.
Having missed lunch, we were starving. After storing our bikes on the ground level of our hotel and showering in our room on the top floor, We found a restaurant open about 50 meters away, and ordered the two set menus: one pesce and one carne. The food was good, and we had a table outside on a slightly quieter side street where we could watch the people streaming by: families, couples, crowds of young people, dogs.
After dinner, we hiked the Passo delle Streghe, a path connecting the three towers that protected the city.
On the way back through town, I saw a jewelry store with Adriatic coral and went in and bought a pair of earrings. I forgot to wear or pack earrings for this trip, and I’ve been missing them.
Back at our hotel, we were stopped by a sign advertising granitas at the bar next door. We did a little more people watching outside the shop while we tried to sip our drinks without getting a freeze headache. We loved the little dog walking off leash that popped in to the bar to say hi to the barista and came right back out when its owner called it back.
We were tired, and ready for our rest day in Verucchio tomorrow.
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| We have been saying often on this trip that we need to find routes that are flatter and easier. But how do you not go out in the hills when the scenery is so incredible? |
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| The windows in one of the three towers were fitted with heavy shutters to protect the soldiers inside from rain and wind. |
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| Tower 3, as seen from the top of Tower 2. |
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| A small chapel or crypt. |
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| Tower 2 as seen from Tower 1. |
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| That is San Marino along the ridge at the top of the mountain. We took this shot about 1.5 miles below it. We could see San Marino most of the day, and tried to photograph it several times, but until we got right below it, it just looked like part of the mountaintop in our photos. |
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| The set menus were easy to order, but in hind sight, we probably would have enjoyed some of the dishes listed on the a la carte menu more. |
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| The three towers and walls connecting them rise above the city itself. |
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| Still practicing those selfie and smile skills. |
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| Everywhere you look in Umbria and Marche, there are stone walls, towers, turrets. |
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| All day we watched San Marino grow in front of us as we biked toward it. From the top of the tall tower in the evening, we looked back at Rimini, on the coast. The citizens of San Marino had 360-degree views of their enemies from the top of their hill. |
