Ancona and San Marino

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Docking in Ancona we had arranged to join with three other couples to take a mini bus to San Marino. Landlocked San Marino it is one of the world's smallest countries with a population of around 33,400 and is said to be the world's oldest surviving republic. Tourism is one of the main sources of income with over three million visitors every year, luckily we had a great driver who got us there early and we were able to explore this small republic before it got too busy.

Three fortres towers perch on the steep slopes facing the Adriatic coast and the two that you could ascend Ron of course wanted to climb; the view was worth the effort. We were lucky to be able to see the changing of the guard before visiting the still operating parliament building, the Palazzo Pubblico, the seat of the government of San Marino. The country is considered to have the earliest written governing documents, a series of six books written in Latin in the late 16th century, still in effect.

We enjoyed a delicious lunch at an Italian restaurant, La Terrazza, overlooking the stunning view before taking the cable car down to where our driver was waiting to take us the 1 1/2 hours back to the ship and our next country Croatia.

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