San Marino - A Tale of Castles...

 From Misano Adriatico, almost an hour long journey will take you to this amazing and one of the smallest countries in the world, The Republic of  San Marino. After the Ravenna Chapter, while deciding on the next destination for the weekend, the definition for San Marino given by one of our senior faculty members was, "it's a fun country".  The images of San Marino was so alluring that we finalised on San Marino as our destination for that Sunday. 

A mountainous micro-state surrounded by North-Central Italy is one among the world’s oldest republics. Retaining much of its historic architecture, the Capital City San Marino is situated on the slopes of Monte Titano. It's well known for its medieval walled old town and narrow cobblestone streets. The Three Towers, castle-like citadels dating back to the 11th century, sit atop Titano’s neighbouring peaks.

 According to the general information available online, "the country takes its name from Marinus, a stonemason originating from the Roman colony on the island of Rab, in modern-day Croatia. Assuming that in A.D. 257, Marinus according to legend participated in the reconstruction of Rimini's city walls after their destruction by Liburnian pirates. Marinus then went on to found an independent monastic community on Monte Titano in A.D. 301; thus, San Marino lays claim to be the oldest extant sovereign state as well as the oldest constitutional republic." San Marino is governed by the Constitution of San Marino (Leges Statutae Republicae Sancti Marini), a series of six books written in Latin in the late 16th century which is believed to be the still functioning earliest written governing documents or constitution of the World. 
 <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Marino>

San Marino is also the first country from the Western Europe who had elected a Communist Government. After the World War II, through democratic elections, the Government was formed by the Sammarinese Communist Party, in coalition with the Sammarinese Socialist Party. The coalition lasted from 1945 to 1957, when the fatti di Rovereta occurred. This was the first time anywhere in the world when a communist government was democratically elected into power.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_San_Marino>

   It has also listed among one of the most beautiful destinations in the World by various travel and media houses. A visit to this tiny happy republic was a complete bliss and an always cherishing one. It was not just about the history and geographical beauty of this place, but also the spring season added extra colours to our memorable moments there. We could also meet some amazing artists, grabbing some souvenirs from their shops. Some shots from the Sunday getaway to San Marino, to the castles, spring and a fun city. :)

The first view before entering the country capital.
The historic architecture still maintained and functioning well is a visual bliss.
The streets with a collage of walls of the fortress and buildings.
The narrow roads leading through the streets to the castle.
Cassa di Risparmio della Republica di San Marino is a financial institution based in San Marino. It consists of 16 branches and operates as both a retail and commercial bank for San Marino citizens and as an offshore private bank for non-resident clients
Candles are no less a bright catch for eyes.
And, this artwork on glass depicting Alexander the Great, simply took my breath away.
When the artist happily posed for a photograph. 
The amazing couple whom we met who are into papermaking with the unique techniques. It was a wonderful experience that we could pick up a conversation with them. 
Everything was eco-friendly in their shop.

The mindblowing handmade paper artworks from japan mulberry leaves and an art overlapping fabrics and paper. 


The aerial view from San Marino.

The Mountains and Rooftops!


It's a Lavender affair!

Earth, Mountains and Sea.

Another attraction of San Marino, gun shops.
San Marino Cathedral.
Inner view of the Cathedral.
Walking up to the Fortress.
The tower of the Palazzo Pubblico. It is the seat of the Government of San Marino.
Her secret garden.
The wall blooms.
The lavender blooms on the roadside.
Entering the fortress.
Inside view.
Some secret window stories.
When she dreamed of a castle outside her window.
The happiness blooms.
Window to the Ancient.
The wall depictions from the Prison Museum.
That was not an easy climb!
But the view was simply spectacular.
Add caption
No, it's not a fairytale.


The roofs from the rooftop.


Like a dream.
Multiple views.
Opening window to the Past.
An old chapel within the Fortress.
Alexandro, the artist who creates spectacular images of the landscapes of San Marino, whom we met on the way.
Some of his works.
The view of the valley.
On the way to the second castle.
Entering.
The Arms Museum inside the fortress.
They caught my eyes- tiny, cute but dangerous!
Arms Museum.
Shields from the war front.
                                                                                                 It's always Christmas in San Marino.

Take a deep breath! any side you go, this is the view you have from the top.

It's for real!
The pathway to the castle.

The spring and the floral decorations.
Cycling spring on the wall.
Spring in a bucket!
More of them.
Spring in a cart!
Spring in a chair.
Anywhere you look...
Those shades...
So full of happiness.
Those little secrets.
Another highlight here is the liquor bottles and the labels.
They come in all sizes and shapes!
The labels speak for themselves!
Adieu San Marino!


Without any doubt, any day I would say that San Marino is one of those most beautiful and happy places I have ever been to. This is how a totally unplanned visit turns out to be a completely blissfull experience.




  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Willong Khullen: The Mysterious Stonehenge of India.

Image
Entering Willong Khullen. On the way to Yang Khullen is Willong Khullen, another small village in the Senapati district of Manipur. I heard about this village from some friends of my friend as they were explaining to me about the history and peculiarities of the region. The village is famous for its presence of the Megalithic Stonehenge which is similar to that of England. While we go to the English land to have a first hand experience of the Stonehenge, unfortunately, we are totally ignorant of our own rich heritage sites. Except for the people from the vicinity of the village who always lived with these stone structures, nobody knows about the presence of a Stonehenge in this area. The Stonehenge of Willong Khullan. Northeast India is one of the major locations in the archaeological map of India for its prominent presence of Megalithic remains distributed around. What makes the case of the Stonehenge in Willong  Khullen curious is the mystery behind it. Nobody has
Read more

Maram Khullen, The Tale of a Traditional Village.

Image
Maram Khullen was the first among those villages I got to visit during my stay in Manipur. The journey was an uphill one and it added more scenic flavours as we went up covering each curve. The season was so dry that I couldn't enjoy much greenery and the day we visited the village was misty and cloudy too. Highly unfavourable for someone who wishes to capture good frames! Even then, the thought of having a live experience of being there in the village boosted the thrill.  Maram Khullen is the biggest and the oldest village which is home to the Maram Nagas. They speak the Maram language. The village continues to be the epitome in preserving the tribe's socio-cultural norms and its ethnicity. The village follows the Lunar Calendar, and its traditions and customs are dated based on it. The Maram Khullen still maintains the age-old tribal tradition of Kingship. The Maram Nagas were the only tribe among the Nagas who didn't consume pork till the advent of Christianity amon
Read more

How She Met Her Cameras !!!

Image
Before starting with my photo stories, I felt I should write about how I got introduced to the world of cameras and photographs. And, it's not just the inspiring learning process, but also the stories of how shortlived the cameras were in my life too. Someway or the other, I was the reason for each of the cameras stopped working at my house. I was the keeper of cameras, but the agency of damaging them was there recurring throughout my life. The first ever camera on which I had tried my hand was an old model of Kodak (Extralite 10),  the rectangular flat one, owned by my dad. On contrary to today's digital era and hundreds of retakes and editing options, I started my photography lessons in cameras which functioned with negatives with only a limited number of photographs that can be clicked. I remember times when among the 36 possible clicks almost 12-20 of the shots just turned out to be photographs of ships at the Cochin Shipyard from different angles and my dad
Read more

The Charminar Narratives.

Image
I came to Hyderabad in 2009. The city was never in my plans when I was thinking of my higher studies, even if I had appeared for the entrance exams. I won't say that I had fallen in love with the city immediately, from the first day or first few years. But gradually even without realising something has bound me to this one. Especially, the Old City. Till 2012 or 2013, I had never been to the Old City during Ramzan, I guess, it's after that first visit, I started to fall in love with Hyderabad. Thanks to the ones who introduced me to this festivity. It has always surprised me that the enormous crowd never suffocated the otherwise claustrophobic me. It's a photographer's paradise during the season. Capturing the Charminar and the colours of the shops and crowd in one frame is always a happy moment, but not necessary that you always find a suitable spot for taking photos amidst the crowd. The market has shops for everything including fruits, food, athar (the P
Read more

The Girl from the Hills...

Image
 My travel chronicles started from the day I cannot even remember, with the journeys to the tea estates of Peermade as my dad was working with a tea production company which was found in 1925. My grandparents and a few grand-uncles also shared a history of being part of the same tea company in different estates. Carady-Goody and Arnakal, these tea estates have a legacy which dates back to the Colonial Era of India. The travels to and fro the estates and the tours from the estate offices which covered almost every touristy places of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka marked the beginning of my love for places and travels. Pashuppara Tea Estate   Peerumedu (as pronounced in Malayalam) is a hill station in the Idukki district of Kerala. The place is believed to have got the name from the Sufi Saint Peer Mohammed, as it is translated as "Hill of the Peer". The location has traces of a rich Neolithic History according to the Archaeologists. The townships Vandiperi
Read more

Yang Khullen... A Less Known Nook of Manipur.

Image
Earlier this year when we were planning a trip to the North Eastern part of India, all I had in mind was to visit some well-known locations (if possible) as the trip was not merely a travel-focused one, but more of a stay. I was staying at my friend's place experiencing the Maram culture from a close watch (of which I will talk in detail in a separate post later). After some 10 days, she told me that we will visit some of those villages and I readily agreed. I didn't even ask her the names or peculiarities of the places, but was all set for an exploration as visiting certain villages in this part of the country is a golden chance. An outsider is not permitted to enter there easily. Even if you are from another tribe of the same state, you may need permission to enter some villages. The case of Yang Khullen is also the same. We started in the morning in a Scorpio from Maram Centre and reached Yang Khullen by afternoon 2:00 p.m. It took almost 3and half hours to reach the des
Read more

Ravenna, A Poetry Written With Mosaics.

Image
I t was totally unexpected that I got a chance to travel to Italy in 2017. And, the most exciting part was that it was the first ever solo trip of my life. After an adventurous journey across the oceans and continents, I reached my destination which was an unknown corner for me in the map of Italy, a small but beautiful seaside town called Misano Adriatico which is located in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. Even if it was a solo and my first international trip, I would say that it was the most unplanned travel I have ever had, as the primary purpose of the travel was academic and I was in a hurry making all the arrangements. All I had in my mind were the visits to the cities of Florence, Rome and Vatican, the must-visit destinations included in every travel itineraries to Italy. While we were approaching the first weekend, some of our faculty members gave us an insight about the nearby places for the weekend getaway, encouraging us to explore the place
Read more