San Marino

You might notice, my last blog, Guatemala, was number 100, and San Marino is 102. That's because in between we sort of did Fiji. While we're in Hawaii, we'll be visiting the Polynesian Cultural Center. Think of it as a world showcase for Polynesian countries. Three of the UN recognized countries are represented there: Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga. We're going to count some snacks there, along with a Luau as our meal for those countries. But, we've done the lesson here on days when Asa is in the office, and we wouldn't be having a meal anyway. I'm just going to hold on to those to put in pictures from the Cultural Center along with the blog, and post them when they can be complete, so the numbers might seem a little wonkie for a bit. 

On to San Marino, a tiny little country, all of 24 square miles, completely surrounded by Italy on all sides. The third smallest country in Europe (behind only Vatican City and Monaco), it is a super microstate, and completely mountainous. Although, worth noting, it is about 20 times bigger than Monaco. It's population is smaller than Monaco's by about 6,000 though. Only about 31,000 people in the world call San Marino home. 

The capital is San Marino, because it's just that small. But really, beyond San Marino is just industrial area, nothing worth writing home about. The whole city is surrounded by a wall, and there are three distinct towers that overlooks the rest of the country. Our landmark is those three towers, named the Guaita, Cesta and Montale. They are actually featured on the country's flag. 

The towers all sit above the city, built into the rocks of Mount Titano, and offer sweeping views. It's said on a clear day, you can even see Croatia. You can see inside two of the stone towers by purchasing the 'red card' for about $4.75. Apparently, there's no entrance to the third tower.

The country isn't on the radar of most international travelers, which makes it a rather charming day trip. Tourism only makes up about 2 percent of the GDP and most of that is from Italians. 

Most of my googling about what to do in this country, just came up with good places to eat with pretty views on the side of the mountain. 

When a country is so small though, it is easy to manage your affairs, if done correctly. And San Marino has done it right. They have no national debt, and instead have a budget surplus. They have the fourth highest life expectancy in the world (at 83.18), and doesn't have any military forces. 

San Marino does have one big claim to fame: It is said that they are the world's oldest surviving country, and the people there are fiercely proud of their independence. The boarders of San Marino date back to 301 AD, when it was founded by a stone cutter named Saint Marinus, who set up shop in the tiny country. 

As one might expect, they also have the world's oldest constitution. 

The boys made their postcards for San Marino. 

Calib's featured Abraham Lincoln, because in 1861, the government of San Marino wrote to Lincoln hoping to make an alliance. They offered Lincoln honorary citizenship, and he accepted. He also made some medieval torture weapons. Apparently, San Marino collects the devices like the 'knee splitter' and the 'rat cage', that were used in the area over 1000 years ago and displays them at the infamous 'Museum of Torture'. 

Peyton's featured the mountain trams, along with the fact that on a clear day, you can see Croatia. 

It's hard to see, but Hayden labeled his as the 'Republic of San Marino', the country's official name. Most residents go a step further and call it the 'Most Serene Republic of San Marino'. 

Since San Marino food is basically Italian food, we were finally able to use the risotto from Trader Joes that I had forgotten about the in the freezer. 

 

And then Asa made Piada wraps. He hates making bread, so he wasn't thrilled with this recipe. But he ended up doing a really good job. They could have been a little thinner, but they totally worked. 

So, the recipe I got the wraps from suggested all kinds of different fillings: Prosciutto and Arugula, BLTs, Chicken & Pesto, and PB&J among others. I decided since we were also going to do a Charcuterie board, I would just put all those things out and people could make their wraps however they wanted, and snack on the Charcuterie along the way. 

This dinner earned six spoons up. 

I had to refill some things a couple of times. The pesto and chicken option was a favorite, as well the BLTs. Hayden and I enjoyed the Peanut Butter and Jelly ones as well. 

The Charcuterie stand outs as always was the cheese with the honey, the cookie butter, and the garlic butter. The only thing that was left at the end was some pieces of dried fruit and a few crackers. 

This is one of those where we all ate until we were a little too full. But, it was kind of amazing. 

It'll go down as one of my favorites. 

And, I forgot a table picture. Whoops. 

102 down (ish), 91 to go

Next Up: Vietnam