Anybody been to San Marino?

I'm at a conference just outside Forli for the rest of the week (actually SWMBO is and I'm just here for the beer Sangiovese) and I have a strong impulse to do a day trip to San Marino tomorrow. To be honest I'm really just doing it to cross another country off the list; I'm under no illusions and realise that the place is probably a sh;thole awash with hawkers selling cheap booze, cigarettes and petrol as most low tax jurisdictions tend to.

Anybody had the pleasure? Any top tips, or do I just use the time for another couple of vineyard trips, a 3 hour lunch and yet another tour around the castle?

Ever visited Moscow?Same people,italian arhitecture :D

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Originally Posted by Carlton-Browne

I'm at a conference just outside Forli for the rest of the week (actually SWMBO is and I'm just here for the beer Sangiovese) and I have a strong impulse to do a day trip to San Marino tomorrow. To be honest I'm really just doing it to cross another country off the list; I'm under no illusions and realise that the place is probably a sh;thole awash with hawkers selling cheap booze, cigarettes and petrol as most low tax jurisdictions tend to.

Anybody had the pleasure? Any top tips, or do I just use the time for another couple of vineyard trips, a 3 hour lunch and yet another tour around the castle?

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Hi

Yes, I've been there a few years back, and I was not very impressed. Even in the tax-free regime, nobody buys watches there. The visit to the Rock is appealing- but honestly had the same feeling that had with Edinburgh castle - very evocative from the outside, very unimpressive inside. If I was in you I would rather go to Ravenna, where there are tons of fabulous Bizantine mosaics, or Ferrara - which is a jewel of a medieval town. If you are there for food and like fish, I would head to Cervia on the coast which has a couple of fabulous fish eateries. If you love mountains, in 30 mins you can be in the Muraglione area, where I would advice a walk into the Aqua Cheta, a place with natural waterfalls and enormous potential as relaxation therapy. If you are there for watches, there are some famous shops - also for vintage - in Rimini. You can also find something in "Arca del Tempo" in Forli, owned by a good watchmaker.

Ciao
Franco

Yes, been there twice. To race at the track.

I did visit town and beach just for a bite and relax.
The only memorable thing for ME (apart from the track and the surrealistically comfortable life in the hills) was the regional archeological museum.

I sugget you go visit Tavullia and stop for food under way.

Went for the day in 2005 whilst holidaying in Catollica near Rimini.

Pretty much the same as most of italy, if I'm honest but it was nice to go.

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Originally Posted by Franco

Hi

Yes, I've been there a few years back, and I was not very impressed. Even in the tax-free regime, nobody buys watches there. The visit to the Rock is appealing- but honestly had the same feeling that had with Edinburgh castle - very evocative from the outside, very unimpressive inside. If I was in you I would rather go to Ravenna, where there are tons of fabulous Bizantine mosaics, or Ferrara - which is a jewel of a medieval town. If you are there for food and like fish, I would head to Cervia on the coast which has a couple of fabulous fish eateries. If you love mountains, in 30 mins you can be in the Muraglione area, where I would advice a walk into the Aqua Cheta, a place with natural waterfalls and enormous potential as relaxation therapy. If you are there for watches, there are some famous shops - also for vintage - in Rimini. You can also find something in "Arca del Tempo" in Forli, owned by a good watchmaker.

Ciao
Franco

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Thanks Franco - comprehensive as ever.

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Originally Posted by igorRIJEKA

Ever visited Moscow?Same people,italian arhitecture :D

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That's what I'd heard :fat:

Thanks everyone. I'll probably make the effort even if only to do an about-turn. It means a bus, a train and a bus but I'd only be relaxing and doing feck all if I didn't attempt the trip. I'm not watch shopping as I'm trying to be a good boy at the moment.

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Originally Posted by Franco

Hi

Yes, I've been there a few years back, and I was not very impressed. Even in the tax-free regime, nobody buys watches there. The visit to the Rock is appealing- but honestly had the same feeling that had with Edinburgh castle - very evocative from the outside, very unimpressive inside. If I was in you I would rather go to Ravenna, where there are tons of fabulous Bizantine mosaics, or Ferrara - which is a jewel of a medieval town. If you are there for food and like fish, I would head to Cervia on the coast which has a couple of fabulous fish eateries. If you love mountains, in 30 mins you can be in the Muraglione area, where I would advice a walk into the Aqua Cheta, a place with natural waterfalls and enormous potential as relaxation therapy. If you are there for watches, there are some famous shops - also for vintage - in Rimini. You can also find something in "Arca del Tempo" in Forli, owned by a good watchmaker.

Ciao
Franco

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Thanks to our South Yorkshire / Northern Italy correspondent :-)

Franco , not sure what you do for a living but the Italian tourist board are missing out !! I now have to go to Muraglione.

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Originally Posted by Huertecilla

Yes, been there twice. To race at the track.

I did visit town and beach just for a bite and relax.
The only memorable thing for ME (apart from the track and the surrealistically comfortable life in the hills) was the regional archeological museum.

I sugget you go visit Tavullia and stop for food under way.

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He he, we have here a Valentino Rossi' s fan ! There is however no race track at San Marino (too small, too hilly), but there is Misano nearby, and of course Imola - which in the past hosted the San Marino Gran Prix, to elude the rule of one GP per nation. Monza was already the Italian Gran Prix. I am afraid but can't avoid associating Imola with Ayrton Senna's death :-(

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Originally Posted by wellsy

Thanks to our South Yorkshire / Northern Italy correspondent :-)

Franco , not sure what you do for a living but the Italian tourist board are missing out !! I now have to go to Muraglione.

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Well, actually I am an academic physician - but I always liked knowing my native country, with a special interest in food :-)

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Originally Posted by Franco

If I was in you

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Ooh err.



As I'm here, I'll just take the opportunity to mention a few evocative names: Rivazza, Tamburello, Acque Minerali.

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Originally Posted by hogthrob

Ooh err.

As I'm here, I'll just take the opportunity to mention a few evocative names: Rivazza, Tamburello, Acque Minerali.

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Sorry, English is not my native language. What I meant was " If I was in your position".

Well, I suppose I should report back and say that I made it to San Marino last Friday after all. Wrist shot taken in one of the three hilltop forts.

http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1...y/24052014.JPG

Overall I wouldn't recommend the experience unless you're keen on crossing another country off the list (I was - I have a little competition running with an ex-colleague of mine and it's unlikely he'll be able to do this easily, particularly as there's no British Embassy here. I'm not going to win though as he has at least 150 under his belt and I'm about a ton short). There is a strong preponderance of Russian tourists and I'm inclined to believe that this is as much related to the popularity of the coast around Rimini amongst Russian tourists as anything else. The old town has a couple of interesting sites (the basilica is actually quite nice - small but fairly perfectly formed) but one tires of the perfume/handbag/sunglasses shops and kiosks which are every couple of yards and many of which have fluffers outside trying to coax you in. It seems to be fairly lowest-common-denominator tourism.

While waiting for the bus in Rimini I had time to go to the beach and I wouldn't recommend that either. Having grown up in Ireland I suppose that I'm used to the idea of a beach as an emptyish windy place where you walk the dogs and normally need a hat and a coat. The Rimini concept is to have square miles of sun loungers packed in like sardines in serried ranks- I really couldn't hack that at all.

We went to San Marino a couple of years ago, on a day trip from Rimini. The thing that sticks in the mind was that we kept driving upwards (and there's a lot of up from Rimini), eventually arriving at the car park of what was obviously the San Marino equivalent of BBC TV centre. Much better place to build a broadcast HQ IMHO, on top of a geet big hill rather than Sheperd's Bush, but I digress.

Having admired the view, we had a quick look around and were somewhat surprised to find a bronze bust of Gandhi. Yes, that one. Random..

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j1...psf517cf1c.jpg

Cheers,

Plug

I went on a day trip maybe 8 years ago when we holidayed in Rimini. It was very memorable, but only because the whole place was immersed in a cloud and torrential rain. We couldn't see more than a few feet ahead of us and were soaked through. Judging by what others have said, we didn't appear to miss much.

Dredging this one from the vaults (because I thought someone here said it wasn't worth visiting recently, but I can't find that post), but some (most?) of the posts seem quite negative about the place and my experience was very different.

I was staying in Rimini for a few days and decided to visit San Marino as it's very close and my father often mentioned it as a place he'd enjoyed visiting years ago.

I caught a bus (6 euros) from close to Rimini station and it took around an hour to reach San Marino.

As others have mentioned you climb a long way up in the bus before getting to San Marino's centre (the actual country extends some way down the hill), but you still have a fair bit of climbing to do to reach the famous towers.

I went on a Friday in April and on arrival it wasn't at all busy. There seemed to be a fair number of Italian school parties, but not that many tourists.

I walked up through the streets of the citadel, slightly bemused by the number of shops selling Airsoft, air and blank firing guns and blades of all sorts (from Swiss Army knives through to what I'm sure are referred to as Zombie knives here, plus many swords, both historical replicas and fantasy ones), but generally it had the feeling of many old towns in Europe, with no modern intrusions, architecturally.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/TPPRs8.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/R3RDXm.jpg

Climbing further up, I enjoyed the incredible views over the surrounding countryside and back to the Adriatic coast and then reached the first of the towers.

San Marino has three historic towers, two of which are restored and open to the public, the third isn't open.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/WvLB5F.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/rOAjQi.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/5hN0Oq.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/I3xBtU.jpg
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https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/1fwO6h.jpg

These were interesting and offered more great views, the second included a small museum of historical weapons.

On the way back down, I stopped for lunch in a cafe, enjoyed a pizza and a German Weissbier, while enjoying the views.

By lunchtime it was definitely busier than it had been when I arrived, but it was still not very busy.

I decided to catch the 15:30 bus back to Rimini (the latest was 19:30, I think).

Overall, I thought San Marino was well worth a visit.

The architecture and topography are stunning as are the views.

I imagine in mid-summer it'd be hell on earth, but midweek, in late April it was great.

M

PS No Russians here when I visited!

I'm going to Rimini in three week for the GT4/Mclaren Trophy at the Misano circuit. I will have a spare half a day so I don't suppose you have any recommendations of local things to see, restaurants (or hotel even - it's last minute!), watch shops?

Thanks

I rode there a few years ago as part of a tour of that part of Italy. Some nice views and some interesting sculpture around the castle. Not many shops that I recall. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...230d8422d1.jpg

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Originally Posted by jimyu

I'm going to Rimini in three week for the GT4/Mclaren Trophy at the Misano circuit. I will have a spare half a day so I don't suppose you have any recommendations of local things to see, restaurants (or hotel even - it's last minute!), watch shops?

Thanks

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Stay in Riccione rather than Rimini. Much nicer. Plenty of good hotels and excellent restaurants. Couple of decent watch shops


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