LIM College

by Taylor Lloyd

To say that San Marino is magical would be an understatement, but I don’t believe that there is any better word to describe it because it was like stepping into a time machine with its cobblestone streets, the castle that sat at the top of the hill, and the changing of the guards.

The beginning of the tour was spent walking through the streets and learning about what is said to be the oldest and smallest surviving republic in the world. I was surprised to learn that although San Marino’s location is in Italy, that is about the only tie that it has with the country and it claimed its independence in 1631. It is also not a member of the European Union nor the Eurozone, but it does use the euro as its currency.

After the tour of the city we were free to venture off so my mom, Judy, and myself decided to get some lunch, but of course we made some stops for shopping and the possibility of leaving San Marino without a shopping bag in hand was slim to none especially when we stopped in the charming little store, Love by Vestopazzo, which had beautiful, handcrafted jewelry.

Before departing from San Marino we made a stop for lunch at this restaurant that sat on top of the hill and provided us with a view that was so beautiful that less than half of the food on my plate actually made it to my mouth because my eyes were fixated on the miles and miles of rolling green hills of farm land and houses.

I am embarrassed to admit that when describing this place to my friends and family back home I had a Sarah Palin moment when I told them that I could see Italy from where I was standing in San Marino, but in all seriousness, how crazy is that? It has easily earned a special place in my heart as one of my favorite places that I have visited during my time in Italy.