San Marino; Saturday, 23 March, 2019

After a filling breakfast I headed out of the hotel and back up to the 1st tower to actually go inside and have a look around. The tower is the largest of the three fortresses that line the hill and had several buildings to look around, as well as being able to walk along the top of the curtain wall, from where there were excellent views across to the 2nd tower and beyond.

I did look at going up to the top of the tower, but the almost vertical wooden ladder that then just became some metal rungs banged into the stone and a very tight hole in the ceiling to get through make me decide it probably wasn’t a great idea.

Having looked round the first tower I headed out along the cliff walk that linked the first and second tower together, taking in more of the city walls and running along the top of the cliff. I had a look around the outside of the second tower before heading inside and having a look around.

The second tower included a military museum with the usual collection of weapons arranged in fans on the walls, but from the top of the tower, which was considerably more accessible than the first towers top, there was a much more impressive view of both the first tower and the third tower.

I spent some time looking round the second tower before descending back down to ground level and continuing on my walk along the ridge to the final tower of the city defences, the third tower. The tower itself isn’t open to the public to look around, and is the smallest of the three fortresses being literally just a single tower.

From the third tower I walked back along the ridge, past the second tower and then down back towards the centre of town, stopping below the first tower for lunch in a very nice restaurant, sat out in the warm sun.

After lunch I went for a bit more of a wander around the city centre and eventually found myself back at the Palazzo Pubblico in the Piazza della Libertà. When Parliament isn’t sitting its possible to look around the building, and as it was a Saturday, and entrance was included in the joint ticket I’d got for the first and second tower, I had a look around inside. You are free to wander round a couple of rooms in the building, including most surprisingly the main debating chamber – I can’t think of any other parliament that would give unfettered access to tourists to their parliaments debating chamber.

After taking the Palazzo Pubblico I had a bit more of a wander round the city centre before stopping off for an early evening drink with it’s complementary snack that was a decent sized meal in itself. I then headed back to the hotel to freshen before heading back out for a wander round the city once the sun had set.

I took in lots of the sites that I’d visited during the day to see them at night before wandering back up via the Cathedral towards the centre of the city.

I found another nice restaurant near the hotel and had dinner there before hiking the short distance back up to my room and turning in for the night.