Destination: Cesena
When I woke the next morning, it was still quite dark and gloomy, a stark contast to the glorious sunrise of the previous day. I was quite excited though, as I was going to be exploring somewhere very cool that had been a late addition to my itinerary.
My focus today would be continuing my journey up the Adriatic coast and heading for the independant republic of San Marino. This visit had been recommended by my friend Alex, who had recently been there, and it looked and sounded amazing. Although, I can honestly say, the small amount of research I had done did not prepare me for what lay ahead!
Stop 1: San Marino
For anyone thinking of driving to San Marino, here’s a bit of advice … be careful how you plug that into your satnav. Definitely don’t just put ‘San Marino’ …
I had passed Rimini, which is the closest big coastal town, some time ago. I was now driving through the countryside, and was suprised at just how rural it was. Also at how quiet the roads were, considering San Marino is very well known and quite a tourist destination. Also, I seemed to be driving for quite a bit longer than I had expected. Eventually though, I came to a sign pointing to San Marino and made my way up the oddly very narrow road.
As it wound it’s way up a mountainside, I was shocked at how impassable it was in places, little more than a single track road. And then there were the road closures, more than one of them, to navigate.
Finally it seemed I had reached my destination, as I had l come to the end of the road. Literally … a dead end. It really didn’t look much like the San Marino I’d been expecting. I checked Google maps.
Yep, that immediately confirmed my suspicions. For some reason, usually very helpful Waze had taken me straight past the Republic of San Marino to a remote village of the same name.
I made my way back down the hill, having checked Waze was set to the Republic of San Marino this time!
Stop 2: San Marino, San Marino
Ironically, there being no direct road link between San Marino and San Marino, it took me a while to get there. Having backtracked some considerable distance and found the right route, it was well after lunchtime when I finally arrived in the actual Republic of San Marino.
It was at that point I realised I wanted to be in the City of San Marino.
The walled City of San Marino is the capital of the republic, and sits imposingly on top of Monte Titano. So now I had 2 options, either park up and take the cable car or drive and hope I could find somewhere to park. Having already driven from San Marino to San Marino, I thought I might as well drive into San Marino. Third time’s a charm, right?
To be fair, it actually was. There was plenty of on road parking right outside the City walls and it was only 6€ for 3 hours, which I didn’t think was bad for a premium spot. Having parked up, I wandered up towards the gated entrance to the City.
Although there are armed sentries in the gatehouse, they seem to be very friendly. But it does really bring home that this City is outside of the jurisdiction of the rest of Italy. Walking through the cobbled streets, the array of shops was an even greater reminder. There were all sorts of things on sale, and many of them duty free, which hadn’t really occurred to me before my visit.
There seems to be some strange preoccupation with horror and the occult and there is a lot of merchandise in that vein as well as several ‘museums’. I was really enjoying just being outside, and particularly loved the area below the castle devoted to bronze sculptures.
There is also a lot of very impressive architecture with a lot of history behind it. Although, I couldn’t help thinking of Baron Bombursts castle in Vulgaria (actually Schloss Neuschwanstein) from the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. This mental image was very much reinforced when I saw the guards.
The City of San Marino is a lovely place to while away a few hours. The views are tremendous, even on cloudy days. I imagine they’d be spectacular on a clearer day. It was quite busy, despite the lack of sunshine, and being just outside of the main season. With that in mind, I’d probably try to overnight somewhere close and visit much earlier in the day next time.
Overnight: Agriturismo la Stadera
It was time to head off to my stop for the night, which I was really looking forward to. I’d booked a rural, eco friendly campsite and after my long travels of the past few days, I felt very much in need of some peace and a nice rest.
I could not have picked a better spot. I had booked Agriturismo la Stadera via Pitchup and believe I was very lucky to get in as it books up very quickly. The drive, although really scenic was thankfully not a great distance and before too long I was at the site. The owner must’ve been waiting as he came out to greet me as I parked up and told me (in great english) that I could choose my spot out of any of the free pitches.
It had obviously been raining quite a bit here, so I picked what I thought would be the least waterlogged pitch. They are all terraced, so none of them get too boggy but I took the one closest to the driveway just in case.
But what I’d not bargained for were the geese, and what comes with them. When I’d finished putting up the TentBox I cracked a beer and stepped back to admire my handiwork (above).
Suddenly …. whooooooosh! … down I went, beer everywhere and covered in very goo-ey goose poo. Oh well, I’d just have to pop another bottle.
I washed up, rinsed out my ‘countrified’ clothes and hung them out on the handy TentBox clothes line (aka storage straps). Then I made my way to a lovely swing seat on the terrace behind my pitch with a fabulous view of the valley below. The sun was setting and it was quite beautiful.
The campsite was just perfect, great pitches, gorgeous scenery and absolute peace … except for the occasional honking of the geese. There is also a restaurant, which seems to be very popular with the locals, but they don’t stay too late. Campsite guests can book, and my Swiss neighbours, who’d been there for a week said the food was delicious.
If you are looking for a ‘get away from it all’ site as a base for exploring the north east coast of Italy, La Stadera is the one. I absolutely loved it there, goose poo and all.
