This town has a weird streak. Love the sculptures.

Cava dei Balestrei, originally a quarry. Crossbows are significant for the defensive role here.

For the annual crossbow competition here, known as the Palio dei Balestrei

The Palazzo Pubblico, govmt building, sadly temporarily closed. I caught the changing of the guard.

Next few are from the State Museum. This is San Marino himself, obvi.

There were several similar images of "Maddalena." ??

St. Anne holding Mary and Jesus. Haven't seen anything like this before, either.

I can't tell you how often I stopped to gawk (and take pics)!

I don't know what weapon those openings accommodated.

The Basilica. I tried twice to go in, but closed and then a wedding! This was at 5:30pm.

San Marino, Day 2

June 26 in San Marino ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

This was a great day! I basically alternated between walking around/sightseeing, practicing, and eating beautiful food. No one wants to hear the practicing, and I’ll save the food for a separate post, so this post is all sights.

I knew it would be a lot of steps (and hills!) today, so I skipped my early morning walk. Neither Italy nor San Marino arise early, so finding breakfast can be tricky. After I did that I started the self-guided tour I had scheduled.

San Marino was founded in AD 301 and is the oldest constitutional republic in the world. At only 24 square miles, it’s the fifth smallest country. The capital city of San Marino (which is where I am) is on top of Monte Titano. The three towers overlooking the city and the surroundings are very dramatic and were definitely highlights of the tour.

I came back to the hotel at various points to rest, charge batteries (literal and figurative), and practice for the upcoming festival. Very happy to have my practice mute!

I’m off to Ravenna tomorrow, which is about 48 miles away on the Adriatic coast.Read more