Ah, Belle Italia ...

Got up this morning (Tuesday) to write the blog, and guess what? No hot water! Now, if this hadn’t been a shower/bath kind of day, it probably wouldn’t have mattered ... but, it is! So, R went down to the club house (we say down, because it is not only down hill on a very windy gravel road, but then you have to walk down flights of steps to get to the house!) to find help. Brought back a nice older lady who speaks no English (which matches my Italian) and she and R looked around and apparently a switch had been thrown (rather like the fuse box) so now we just need to be patient, and hot water will appear! Oh well! Will give me more time to blog! Just found out that R has met a neighbor! He went down to the club house (it was about 7:45 a.m.) and no response – so he drove back, and met the lady with the black dog picking flowers – and brought her along! At any rate, just hope for hot water!!

Okay, so, yesterday...I made scrambled eggs using our farm-fresh eggs, and we had those with a plate of salami, cheese and tomatoes for breakfast – Yum! Who could ask for more? Then we headed down to the club house to check email and post the blog ... takes SO long on dial-up, especially with the pictures! (Just took a quick break to get a quick shower/bath, while we had hot water! Turns out it’s hot water on demand...and I needed some!) By that time, it was 10 a.m. and we wanted to spend the day in the Repubblica di San Marino (RSM); an incredible place! When we drove through there and had lunch on Saturday, we bought a book about it and have since learned that they are, indeed, independent, and have been since the 12th century! They were founded by a monk escaping the clutches of the Catholic church, who holed up on a mountain top. Over the years, others of like mind followed him, and the premise of the Republic is that they are FREE – beholding to no one, and here they remain, all 23 square miles of it! My question was, how did they not manage to get swept up in the ensuing years, especially when Italy was first being put together (a loose confederation of city-states and districts). Well, apparently Napoleon came through there, and was granted hospitality – and was so taken by the people and their spirit, that he left them alone! And then, when Garibaldi was threatening to take San Marino, Napoleon III sent word that if the Italians attacked San Marino, the French would come to their aid! And so, they remain, one of the world’s smallest countries! They have their own stamps, and ostensibly their own currency, but in reality, they use the Euro. They make their own laws, and their own wine, and they hold an observer seat in the U.N. They also have three really great towers that beckon we tower-baggers from a distance – and you can see the Republicca from MILES away! Took some truly winding roads to reach RSM, but made it at last, around noon. As we’d had such a big breakfast, though, we decided to tour and not eat. Now remember, these towers are on HILLS – 3 of them – talk about a hike! We went first to #2 (as it was closest); climbed ALL the way to the top – the views were spectacular – rather like being in an airplane! Also a bit scary, as there were some interesting holes in the floor ... going straight DOWN! From #2, walked to #3 – but turns out, this is a trick! NO DOOR into #3; it’s just a tower! Who knew?? (I know who knew...those other people who went down and then WAY back up to a tower with no door – but couldn’t be bothered to let us know, to save a few steps...) But, regarding steps – R is still not happy about 10,000 of them per day, BUT, he did say it was doing him good, so that while he still hated to exercise, at least he was doing it and it was paying off!! So...from #3 we headed all the way past #2 to #1 – stopping along the way to buy two new dish towels, as the Agriturismo only has one, and who can cook with only one dish towel?? #1 was lovely, as were the views – this time having to literally go up rungs of an iron ladder to get to the top – now that was exciting! After that, we decided we’d had enough touring (over 9,000 steps by then, just in San Marino!) so we headed back to the car, stopping first for a brief pick-me-up of gelato! (Great lunch!)

Now, R has had the idea that as everything is so lovely in San Marino, that they would have a good supermarket, so now we went looking for one. Found one advertised on a bus-stop, and actually ran into it on our way down the hill towards Rimini; inside of a shopping mall! Strangest mall – the parking garage was closed, and there weren’t too many cars around; found parking on the street. Walked in, and wow, had the mall almost to ourselves! Everything open, it was about 3, but very few people there! Did our grocery shopping, which will probably take us through the rest of the week. Then headed home along the coast route and then heading inland; seemed the fastest, considering we had food in the car. Got back around 4, and settled in for the night. R made dinner – he had planned on cooking chicken, but wanted to do a primi plati (first course) of the artichoke ravioli we had on hand, along with pesto. By the time we had finished that (TRULY delicious; the fresh pasta cooks up in literally minutes!) we’d decided that was dinner! So saving the chicken for tonight...

So ended our lovely day in Le Marche (and RSM)! It is so amazing at night to turn out all the lights and just lean out the window and watch the lightning bugs (fire flies?) – R offered to try and catch one for me, but I declined – they’re much happier being free! Just like the people of San Marino!! Here’s to them!!

Take care, lots of love and more later!
Ciao!
m