Tag: San Marino

Top Places To Visit In San Marino, A Guide For A Weekend Stay

Posted on by Benjamin Gunst

From Roma Termini I took a train to Rimini and then a bus to reach the city. San Marino has no train stations or airports, so land is the only option to get there.

Here is a list of things to do in San Marino for a weekend stay:

Get your San Marino passport stamp

The first thing that I did was to get my passport stamped. Even though this is not mandatory, authorities consider this ‘souvenir’ stamp as official. It only costs five Euros, and you can get it at the Tourist Information Centre.

Museo della Tortura (Torture museum)

This museum will marvel at you with a journey through human cruelty. The most valuable is that they go beyond Catholic Inquisition elements (very cliché in this part of the world) and showcase torture elements used in others ‘civilizations’. 

(I sent a picture to Ida, and she replied with an emoji)

Visit the Basilica di San Marino

Located in the Piazzale Domus Plebis, this is the most prominent Catholic building in the city. It is not as impressive as the Roman Catholic buildings I visited last week. Still, it has significant value as this place is dedicated to Saint Marinus, the father and founder of this small republic.

Go hiking at Monte Titano

There are a few hiking trails to enjoy on Mount Titan. To find them, you can go to the Cesta tower (one of the three famous towers of San Marino) and walk through the gateway to the right of the museum entrance. 

Monte Titano is a UNESCO World Heritage Site alongside the historic centre of the city. According to UNESCO, you can witness the continuity of a free republic since the Middle Ages in this place. I certify that.

Eat at Righi

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel there are many differences between Italian and Sammarinese food. However, if you want to experience some so-called Sammarinese taste, you should go to Righi. This place is the only Michelin star restaurant in the country and it is worthy of every Euro spent. You won’t spend more than 80 euro between antipasti, primi and secondi. However, a great tasting plate is available for 90 euro. This one can give you an idea of the overall Sammarinese flavour. 

Drink like a local

Don’t forget to try any of the local coffees and wines. They have several exciting notes given by the geographical position of the country.

The local beer Titanbräu and the limoncello are also worth it.

Visiting The Vatican For The First Time (Full Of Sins)

Posted on by Benjamin Gunst

I have an important update on my relationship with Jessica: she is leaving (me) again.

I definitely don’t want to talk about the details. But Pietro, from Rome, is still alive. She invited me to bike to Switzerland, and I rejected the idea of being close to him. So full stop, no more love, no more beautiful chaos and no more Rome.

So I am back to basics again; I am Benjamin Gunst, a Canadian freelance Graphic Designer and Digital Nomad. I love meeting new places and dream of visiting as many countries as my life permits.

Next stop: The Vatican City.

After the infamous event with Jessica occurred, I decided to go to Bukowski’s Bar to forget everything with the help of alcohol. I chose the place because of the name and nothing else. The place decoration and music selection marvelled me so much that I decided to drink a few more beers there; therefore, I met Giovanni.

Giovanni is from Bellinzona, Italian-speaking Switzerland and is in Rome working as a Pontifical Swiss Guard of the Holy See. The next day was off for him, and he also had some things to forget with alcohol.

Giovanni’s wife and daughter had returned to Ticino. He didn’t want to mention why or if they lived in The Vatican with him, but he was profoundly sad. “I just hope I see my little Aurora again”.

“What’s your plan for tomorrow?” he asked.

“So far, having a reason to wake up”.

“I’d give you one. You are one of those crazy travellers, right? Do you want to do a Vatican Tour guided by a Swiss Guard?”

The next day I was in The Vatican with a resident, an actual, local resident of the smallest country in the world.

I will honour Giovanni’s request not to disclose what happened there. But I just want to say that I was fortunate to meet him and see all of The Vatican’s wonders with an actual resident.

Next week, I went to Roma Termini to repeat goodbye to the beautiful and chaotic city. Giovanni also came to say bye. This time was no rain, no protests, and Roma Termini was clean and bright. I am just grateful that I had one of the most significant experiences in my life, thanks to Jessica. I wanted to tell her but was still not ready to do so. She might be reaching Switzerland now with Pietro.

Next stop? San Marino.