DAY 6 - RIMINI to SAN MARINO - 26 April 2026

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We're going up there?!?
After our hotel buffet breakfast we retraced our steps of yesterday through the murals area and over the Tiberius bridge. We briefly joined the Via di Francesco, noting the signs which will become familiar over the next couple of weeks. Today however we were forging our own path to the world's oldest republic, San Marino, a tiny country surrounded by Italy.

We could see San Marino's imposing skyline of mountain with three towers from Rimini, and it remained in view most of the way. Our path took us beside or on the road, but the Italian drivers were courteous and gave us a wide berth. At times we were in the country with crops or vineyards or olive trees, at other times we were in the towns. 

We paused for salad sandwiches at a little cafe in Dogana. We were being healthy but the proprietor was closing and she kindly gave us a bag of leftover brioche...

From there, it was all up, the reward being lovely views back to Rimini. We finally left the road at Borgo Maggiore and took the path through the forest to the top. There were panoramic views, including over the area we're going to be walking in the next few days. 

The old town is UNESCO listed and there were plenty of other people exploring its medieval treasures. We walked between two of the towers and were amazed to see slack liners performing with no fear at all. 

We concluded our day with a wonderful meal at our hotel.  We had our first aperol - delicious - then shared an antipasto (bruschetta), first plate (gnocchi), second plate (steak), vegetable (mixed salad), dolce (4 fruit sorbets). All fantastic! 
Back up through the streets of Rimini 
Back to the Tiberius Bridge 
The Tau sign of the Via di Francesco 
Bikes and flowers
Mauro, a passing cyclist, was interested in what we were doing, so we showed him our blog
Roadside scenery
Approaching the San  Marino border
San Marino and Monte Titano getting closer
The views opened up behind us as we continued to climb
Ceremonial selfie - just before the final climb up to San Marino,  we passed the 100km mark in our walk
Are we there yet?
Borgo Maggiore
A bit more climbing . . . 
View of the hills to come
Into San Marino (and its hordes of tourists) at last
Fortifications are everywhere in San Marino
Still climbing
Many of San Marino's eating establishments have panoramic views
Scenic San Marino
Slack-lining between the fortresses - I think we'll stick to walking
We will only be having one dinner in this country. It was pretty good. 
A slow bird day today - sorry Murray, Simon, Judy, Deb, and our other bird-watching friends
Day 6 - map
Day:                                6
Distance:                       23.51 km
Walking time:               4 hrs 52 mins
Elevation gain:             787  metres (not flat)
Cumulative distance:  102.79 km

Comments

  1. The Howie's27 April 2026 at 03:51

    The scenery, the history lessons, the birds and of course all the food all look fantastic! Your blog is very informative and full of wonderful photos. We are enjoying your trip and all the walking you are doing so we don't have to.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous27 April 2026 at 03:54

    Birds were pretty easy today: Eurasian Jay, feral Pigeon, common blackbird

    Trivia for today. Did you realise that you’d left the EU? San Marino is not a member of the EU.
    Murray

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barkers27 April 2026 at 05:54

      We didn't realise this. Thanks Murray, informative as always!

      Delete
  3. Butlers27 April 2026 at 14:36

    Love all of the photos, especially the picturesque bicycle ones 😉 They would make great postcards 👍🏻 What lovely weather you are having.
    Keep these posts coming, love them 🌺

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barkers27 April 2026 at 21:26

      Bicycles and flowers, what a perfect combination! Yes, we have been very lucky with the weather so far.

      Delete
  4. Cameron Green28 April 2026 at 10:09

    San Marino. Mum went crazy over gelatto at that place! Great pictures, guys

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barkers28 April 2026 at 17:09

      There was a big queue at the gelateria as we came in, otherwise we would have gone crazy there too!

      Delete
  5. Anonymous28 April 2026 at 14:42

    What a stunning day of walking!
    Loving the blog and photos

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barkers28 April 2026 at 17:11

      Definitely a stunning day! Glad you're enjoying the blog and photos.

      Delete

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