DAY 93: GunsN'Glasses

"If you're going to San Marino

Be sure to wear some clean underwear

If you're going to San Marino

You're gonna eat some caciatello there

For those who come to San Marino

Semi-automatics are 20% off there

In the streets of San Marino

Ray Ban wearing Italians sit and stare

All across the station such a strange little nation

Don’t cause a commotion

There's enough ammunition to create an explosion

Up all the stairways are people in motion

For those who come to San Marino

Be sure to handle merchandise with care

If you come to San Marino

You don’t want to spend your final days there

If you come to San Marino

Springtime is neither here nor there"

Abraham Lincoln once said, “Despite being so small, your state is one of the most honored countries of the whole history.” San Marino is considered one of the smallest countries in the world. It is located on the western coast of Italy, on top of Mount Titano. It’s constitution is the worlds oldest constitution still in effect, making it one of the wealthiest countries in the world, with the lowest unemployment rate in Europe and no national debt…. Which makes sense when 29,000 of its 30,000 inhabitants sell handguns, sunglasses, watches and jewelry sans tax with an extra 20% off. Need a pistol and olive oil? Take a drive to San Marino and ride the gondola to the top of the hill. Which is what we did, on a short bus, at 6am this morning…

Cornflakes and strawberries for breaky before a nauseous 2 hour ride to the “land of shopping.” We had the whole day to photograph and explore, so I took off solo and checked out the 3 towers, dating back to the 11^th century! There were more stairs to climb than there are short men in Italy, and I was ridiculously sore from doing P90X… no sudden movements. After climbing to the top of the first tower at a glacial pace, I made my way across the little valley, through town to the next… checking out leather, jewelry and gun shops. Didn’t really check out the gun shops, but they maintained the majority of storefronts… it was like shopping at Cartier and Cabelas on the same block. I wasn’t aware there were Italian rednecks, but now I know… after a few hours of meandering, I was in dire need of a salad, since out packed lunch consisted of bread, crackers, bread and cake wrapped in plastic… good bye paper sack, hello Ristorante Titano. I went with a chef salad, which was enormous had a fabulous arrangement of fennel, tomatoes, carrots, radishes, olives, peppers, tuna, mozzarella and cucumbers. I was in fresh produce heaven… I sat and wrote with a cup of Earl Grey for 2 hours before meeting up with the group. I was lacking creative motivation and energy and it started to rain and I just wasn’t feelin’ it.

Back to the villa in time for dinner… some cabbage salad and fish before I started editing photos for the evening. My time is winding down here at Villa Pieve- I only have 2 weeks left in Italy! Stay tuned for an exciting week in Corciano… ciao for now!