A European country, which was missing on our list, was the Republic of San Marino. From Rimini it was a short drive to the European microstate enclaved by Italy. Luckily we were allowed to take the funicular to get to the top of Mount Titan on which the old town of Marino is perched.
Saint Marinus, a stonemason from the then-Roman island of Rab in present-day Croatia participated in the rebuilding of Rimini’s city walls. He then went on to found an independently ruled monastic community on Mount Titan in AD 301.
Today, San Marion is a parliamentary representative democratic republic. Every six months, the council elects two captains regent to be the heads of state. The captains are chosen from opposing parties so that there is a balance of power. They serve a six-month term. Once this term is over, citizens have three days in which to file complaints about the captains’ activities. If they warrant it, judicial proceedings against the ex-head(s) of state can be initiated.
We were happy, that the weather had cooperated and we had a great time visiting San Marino. A new sticker will be added to our door now. 😉
From here, it is just a short drive to Ravenna. We are hoping to be able to visit some of the famous churches without a Green Pass – more on our next post!