We haven’t managed to visit a country so far on this trip that neither of us have been to before, but hopefully that all changes today. I’ve booked a bus ride to the mighty Republic of San Marino which is an hour south-west of Rimini. It’s also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino, so hopefully it should be a day free of violence. I read that San Marino’s only 61 square kilometres in area, which makes it the world’s fifth smallest country after the Vatican City, Monaco, Nauru and Tuvalu. One of its other main claims to fame is that it’s generally regarded as the world’s oldest still existing republic. Its origins date all the way back to 301 AD to a Dalmatian stonecutter by name of San Marino. He set up a ... read more

First up this morning is a climb up the clock tower of the Palazzo d’Accursio in Piazza Maggiore. I read that the first mention of the Palazzo was back in 1287 when the Accursio family sold one of the family homes to the Municipality of Bologna. It’s effectively been the Bologna Town Hall ever since .... the papal legate even had his apartments and offices there when Bologna was one of the Papal States. It came to national attention in 1920, in an incident during a council meeting presided over by the newly elected socialist mayor. The Piazza was packed with cheering citizens when a fascist paramilitary squad turned up. Shots were fired, and ten died and 58 were injured when the crowd got caught in the crossfire between the fascists and the Carabinieri. After yesterday’s ... read more

Our apartment here in the historic centre of Bologna is almost more museum than somewhere to lay your head - antique furniture, chandeliers, a library of old books, framed artwork - all of which probably explains why we had to pass a video interview before they’d let us anywhere near the keys. And if you wanted to rob the place, well good luck getting past all the locks. It is however very spacious and comfortable, and the views over the city centre’s historic monuments from the seventh floor roof terrace are priceless. We head out for a wander. First up is the main square, Piazza Maggiore, which is surrounded on three sides by stately looking historic buildings - the Basilica di San Petronio, the Palazzo d’Accursio with its clock tower the Torre dell‘Orologio, and the Palazzo ... read more

It’s our last full day here in beautiful Cadiz, so after days of aimless wandering it’s time to get bit more focussed. First stop this morning is the city’s central market, Mercado Central Cádiz, where Friday trading’s in full swing. The seafood doesn’t look like it could get much fresher; I think some of it’s still moving - fish of every conceivable variety, bright red prawns, lobster, octopus, shellfish, you name it they’ve got it. They’ve also got a couple of sharks up on one of the counters with their mouths propped open with pieces of polystyrene … well they look like sharks, except they don’t seem to have any teeth. We read about a reportedly toothless shark prowling the waters off Malaga when we were there a few weeks ago. The report said it was ... read more

I head off for another aimless wander through the narrow backstreets of beautiful Cadiz. Our apartment’s in Calle Ancha, which I think means “wide street”. l suppose it might possibly be half a metre or so less narrow than most of its counterparts. First stop is the lively Plaza de la Catedral, which, perhaps unsurprisingly, is in front of the city’s cathedral. I read that this was built between 1722 and 1838, so like a few other cathedrals we’ve seen in Spain, they again took their time. The ever-reliable Wikipedia says that it’s a declared “good of cultural interest”, with its “type“ classified as “immovable”. Yep, that would be right I think. It has a large crypt which houses the tomb of the composer Manuel de Falla, who was apparently born here in Cadiz. I don’t ... read more