Terra di San Marino

Tourism, banking, ceramics and electronics are the key industries in San Marino - basically everything else is imported from Italy. However, there is a little cluster of products made right here in the country. One of which is "Torta Tre Monti," the traditional Sammarinese cake which has been produced commercially by La Serenissima since 1942. (The "Antique Bake Shop" seems to have a monopoly on the industry).
Layers of wafer are stuck together with hazelnut/chocolate frosting and then its edges are "crowned" with chocolate fondue. It is completely handmade, using the same techniques as sixty years ago and is traditionally much larger and circular. We just didn't need that much torte, so we opted for the 21st century snack-size variety. La Serenissima also makes "Torta Titano," the other Sammarinese cake, which is basically the same thing but instead of wafers, softer puff pastry is layered. They both have shelf lives of about a year, so I can imagine they're quite popular around Christmas time and in college care packages.
They real pride of the Sammarinese gastronomic world, though, is their Terra di San Marino Consortium and brand. The agricultural cooperative is well funded by the government and works to ensure that the country's rural land is protected and promoted. Almost half of all the terrain here is agricultural, but being surrounded by Italy, it's a little more difficult to get a good "Buy Local" movement off the ground. In fact, when we set out to visit the consortium, we found just an office and returned to the Italian chain grocery store to look for the Terra di San Marino logo on the shelves. The first thing we found was this package of piada.
Piada bread and sandwiches created with it (piadinos) are ever present in San Marino, but come originally from the surrounding Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. It looks, tastes and feels exactly like a flour tortilla - though maybe a tiny bit thicker? Resisting the urge to make burritos, we warmed them, quartered them and coated them with a drizzle of olive oil and some paprika. Another few were dipped in honey. Unfortunately, the olive oil and honey were from foreign lands. They are two of key products in the Terra di San Marino collection, but we simply have too much of each to warrant buying some more.
The Vini Tipici Consortium is a large part of the Land of San Marino Cooperative. Merlin already spoke about our visit there and the wine itself. They also produce a few liquors and we tried out the "Acquavite di Une Moscato." Neither of us are big grappa fans, but it was actually quite nice: smooth, a little sweet....
...it also made for an excellent camping lantern! Just throw a head lamp on top and you've got yourself some nice mood lighting by which to enjoy the last of your Sammarinese cheese. That's it right there in the front. Not showing an up-close shot is a decision I've made. Let's just call this cheese a "full on Monet" in the immortal words of Clueless. It looked as much like a glob of slightly moist cream cheese as the piada looks like tortilla. Though, luckily the flavor disparity was more defined. It tasted like a tangier fresh mozzarella and had more of a stickiness to its bounce. I guess you could say it was halfway between a ball of fresh mozzarella and some run-of-the-mill brie.
Here it is packaged from the grocery store. Like wine, dairy products have their own cooperative subdivision: Centrale del Latte. They make sure that every aspect of the production process happens right here in San Marino and uphold cheesemaking traditions. Most of the cheese on offer is pretty new - I'm actually not sure if they have caves at all. It was nice to see Il Latte milk being used in almost every cappuccino we ordered, though we 've yet to find the local yogurt amongst the Dannon explosion of a grocery section. (It's really an Activia explosion, but that just sounded so wrong).

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A Very Red Museum

To be fair, not all of the cars at the Ferrari museum in Faetano, San Marino, are red. But the emphasis is on "rossa" cars. Most of these rare specimens were driven in actual races, some are still raced today, nearly all are covered with decals and competition numbers. This is a peculiar place that is probably (but not definitely) worth an hour or so of your time. It is officially known as "Maranello Rosso Ferrari Museum," and also houses a Fiat Abarth exhibition, that we didn't see.
The museum is located right on the border with Italy in the town of Faetano, which doesn't seem to have much else to offer. Across the international boundary - which I say in jest; there isn't even a sign - is the airplane museum that we inadvertently visited a while ago. That first trip to this corner of San Marino was actually made to visit the Ferrari Museum, but there was a note on the door that said they were closed because of "extraordinary repairs," or something like that. When we came back, we were let in by a woman who seemed a little inconvenienced by our presence. She sold us tickets (12 euros each, which is outrageous) and turned on the lights for us. Nobody else came in while we were there.
The space itself is tight and strangely lit, with chandeliers and streetlight-styled fixtures casting difficult glimmers onto the mirrored walls. There are some carved doors and oversized urns that - I think - are supposed to evoke a swanky salon where someone has decided to park their collection of exotic cars. Each of the models is hemmed in by a guardrail thing, which makes them impossible to photograph whole and are also tripping hazards.
A good deal of the museum's literature and information is devoted to Enzo Ferrari, the racing champion and founder of the company, who apparently spent a lot of his life in San Marino. Wall plaques and photographs showed the man next to a wide selection of his quotes. Unfortunately, the museum also featured a large number of stills and "behind the scenes" photos of "Ferrari," a movie written about Ferrari by his son and featuring many of the cars in the Maranello Rosso collection.
This is a factory frame, used to form and fit pieces of sheet metal to the shape of the finished car.
In the museum's defense, the close quarters, gauche decor and questionable information displays couldn't cover up how beautiful the cars were. Rebecca, who has always said that Ferraris are ugly, admitted that she was struck by the looks of these models. They are all low slung, with curves and details that are more striking in person than in any picture.
The majority of them date from the late fifties to early seventies, with a few more recent outliers. This particular car was owned by Marylyn Monroe, and was the only white vehicle in the place.
In the end, it's mesmerizing to be there. There are twenty-five cars, many of them easily recognizable. It's a bizarre, mirrored, cramped museum that is probably worth the twelve euro admission price if you are really into cars or Ferraris. If you aren't, it will seem too expensive but may still charm you.

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Vivi Tipici

First off, it's not "vivi tipici," it's "vini tipici." We have been calling it "vivi" because of a typo on a road sign. At least, we think it was a typo.

San Marino has a small wine consortium that produces almost all of the alcohol in the country. There are a few older vintages left over from more fragmented times, but today it is mostly about cheaper whites and reds that are sold in bulk to bars and (sometimes) in bottles to tourists. It's not bad, but it's best drunk without thinking about it. The bottles above, which are two of the better products, cost €4.50 and €2.00 (left and right), and are definitely palatable.
At the wine consortium in Borgo Maggiore - which is the town at the ocean-side foot of Monte Titano - the fermentation tanks dominate the parking lot. It's quite the sight, but it's also a pretty small scale operation when you consider that it's the entire county's output.
This Saturday, a surprising number of people were driving in, parking and unloading empty bottles from their trunks. The bottles ranged in size from one liter plastic things, to larger glass jugs to these enormous vessels. There are four gas-pump type filling stations in the shop - two for white, two for red - and a bleary eyed man running the nozzles.
The price per liter was €1.65 at three of the pumps, and €1.25 (marked as a sale!) on the fourth. Most people seemed to want this red, but we opted instead for two others: the Riserva Titano Brut Frizzante and the Castelli Sammarinesi Vino Bianco. Both were in bottles. We might have filled up our own containers, but didn't have anything that seemed suitable.

Most of the customers were older and seemed to know the pump attendant. I'm sure some of them were picking up orders for restaurants, but some obviously were just getting their week's supply of table wine. At €8.25 for five liters, i'd say they were getting a deal.

Later, we stopped at a vineyard on the way to Faetano. The leaves are just beginning to unfurl from the vines. They're a magnificent spring-green. In the background, Monte Titano rises up and the edge of Borgo Maggiore can be seen (the cluster of houses at right, under the cliffs). There is quite a bit of land under vine in little San Marino, but it appears to be secondary to olive production.
We drank the frizzante last night with our picnic of tomato, cheese, lambstongue, artichoke and piadina. It wasn't optimally cold or served in the right glasses, but that doesn't really matter. The bottle certainly emptied quickly enough. It is probably our favorite of the San Marino wines, though we are fond of the frizzante served on tap in all the bars.

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Gypsy Kitchens: Mare e Monti

San Marino doesn't have its own cuisine, per se, so we've been extra perceptive of menu trends and things they seem to particularly like. When I first saw "mare e monti" as an option on a pizza list and read that "sea and mountain" meant shrimp and mushroom, I felt that there was finally a pizza option designed just for me. No more sighing wistfully at Merlin's proscuitto e fungi pizza while cutting up my own protein-less variety. The combination has since popped up on every other pizza list, as well as pastas. It makes perfect sense that San Marino, with its views of the Adriatic and the Appenines, would embrace the combination as sort of a signature. So, for our first Sammarinese home cooked meal, we decided to try to make mare e monti ravioli.
We procured fresh pasta from the nearby grocery store, shrink wrapped wads of folded sheets most likely intended for lasagna. The plan was to make one batch of mare ravioli (shrimp and red pepper flakes), one batch of monti (mushroom and parsley) and then top them both with some sauteed tomato, basil and oil. As we lifted the pasta off of its styrofoam tray, we realized that it was too thick and, when wetted, didn't stick together at all. Definitely not ravioli material. The mushrooms were already diced and cooking, but we left the shrimp whole while we decided on a plan B.
Thinking back to our good ole eating-out-too-much NYC days, Merlin thought of the 'raviolo' he was once served. Basically, it was one single pocket of pasta, created simply be folding a sheet of pasta over its filling. Right up our alley! Unfortunately, fresh pasta doesn't come with instructions and neither of us quite knew how to get it right. Our sheets all got stuck together and we managed only a handful of large enough shreds. "We just won't put this on the blog," Merlin said to me as he struggled to tear apart a boiling hot cube of starch. Oops.
The thing is, our stomachs don't have eyes (hence, my love of cheap Indian). The shrimp were as sweet as their color had suggested (did you see how pink they were raw?) The pasta itself was delicious enough to make us stop cursing the day it was born and our filling and sauce were pretty darn perfect, if I do say so myself. Our mare e monti was a delicious failure of a meal.

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Sammarinese Mercatale

Borgo Maggiore is one of the nine castelli in San Marino and also happens to be the name of that castello's largest town. Early in its history, around the late 1200s, it was called "Mercatale" (marketplace). The most important market in the country still takes place here every Thursday. Parking was tight and people trudged up and down the hills with their plastic bags filled with rainbow polyester. Instead of in a market square, the vendors spilled through all the narrow streets of the pretty town.
We went with a shopping bag and a hope to find dinner. Passing by the few fruit and vegetable stands we saw at the very beginning of the sprawl, we hoped to find a larger collection of food sellers. Instead, we found the Borgo Maggiore market to be exactly like most European markets we've visited: filled with more fabric than food. Curtains, blankets, blouses, silk flowers that the mosquitos still swarmed around and poked at. I understood their disappointment.
We found cacti and t-shirts with Christina Aguilera's face on it, but no cheese or wine or meat or fish... Then, we spotted a little boy digging down into a greasy paper cone and walked in the direction from which he'd come. We smelled fry wafting in the air and finally stumbled upon a stand which churned out helping after helping of freshly fried seafood to very eager customers. Just a few feet away stood two identical porchetta stands, with competing pork and tins of crackling. While both things were enticing, we were after something a little more - raw.
The goods seem so random and mass produced, yet these markets are always bustling. I honestly wonder how many of the customers are resellers. In San Marino, it seemed like a lot of people just stopped by to chat with their friends. You definitely overheard more gossiping than haggling. It also seemed to give people an excuse to have a pre-10am glass of wine - sort of like brunch or Wimbledon.
I may or may not have purchased my very first cheap, European market undergarment- but that's neither here nor there. We struck out on dinner ingredients, but managed to procure a little food for the walk back down.
This table appeared to be run by the food collective of San Marino and the youngish unsmiling man was very keen on explaining which grains were used to make the small variety of bread he had for sale. There were pale, round loaves that looked exactly like enormous sugar cookies (complete with liberal sugar dusting). We opted, instead for this sheet-bread thing. It was very oily and sort of bland but pleasantly dry somehow. We think he said it hadn't been baked at all. The huge crystals of salt on top really helped it make the jump from 'interesting' to enjoyable.
The most impressive part of this generally unimpressive market was the fact that under the eaves, in the narrow passageway which wound around a strip of stores, they had actually found some level ground. As we pulled a little basket on wheels around the produce section of a supermarket later that day, I felt awful that I hadn't purchased more from the market. Merlin made me feel better immediately, though. "All the market stuff was imported from Italy, too." Sammarinese produce basically consists of olive oil, wine and cheese. We, dutifully, had a large helping of all three with our dinner.

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Castle Hunting: The Three Towers of Monte Titano

On the flag of San Marino one can see three towers in prominent position at the center of the national crest. Walking around San Marino, one can't help but see those same three towers, strung out along the crest of Mount Titano. They are part of the defense structure of the main town, and they have a peculiar and colorful history. The oldest of the towers, the Gauta (above), was built in the 11th century, and has come to represent something of the free nature of this tiny republic.
We'll begin, though, with the smallest and least-free - the Montale tower, out by itself, served primarily as a prison when it was built in the 14th century. It isn't very big at all, and is closed to the public. There's a good reason why visitors aren't allowed; the dark rectangle shown on the lefthand wall is the only door. It's about twenty feet up, and looks to be no more than four feet tall. This, apparently, was a common style of entryway for prison towers of the period. Somehow, a tree has taken root inside - this branch was alive.
The Montale tower is outside the town fortifications, but is still very difficult to get to. There are two ways: the first is through the steep wood on the back side of the mountain, the second is right along the cliff face. The people of San Marino haven't taken many safety precautions past the second tower, so be careful as you go. There is a lower, cavelike space in the rock a little underneath the path, but it takes a willingness to scramble and a steady nerve to reach it. The cliffs are stupefyingly high - approaching the edge is like coming across a rent in the sky/land dichotomy.
The "second tower," the Cesta, marks the far end of the battlements, and sits atop the highest of Titano's crags. Notice, here, the lack of a defensive wall on the cliff side. There is no need for one, of course, with a drop (almost sheer) of over three hundred feet protecting the back of the tower. The Cesta was built in the 13th century as a compliment to the Gauta, and to increase the defensible portion of the mountaintop as San Marino's population grew. Behind it, on the far right in the picture, is Montale tower. The town walls are visible cutting down the slope - not very tall themselves, as the approach on the "gentle" side is still extremely steep.

As you can see, the "tower" designation is somewhat loose. The Cesta and Gauta fortifications are actually little clumps of buildings. The Gauta structure was initially built as a watchtower more than a fort, but successive additions bolstered its defensibility. A bridge-like wall runs between these two towers, used more as a walkway than as a defense. The lower, town portion of the wall is crenellated and has usable ramparts.

Again, the towers aren't very tall - but they have an extremely high effective height because of where they're placed. A more elevated wall would be somewhat more difficult to defend, as the top would be too far away from the attacking forces to fire from. This is the tallest of the buildings on the ridge, in the Gauta complex.
None of the structures have very large courtyards or keeps. The reason for this is simple: the towers weren't intended to protect a single, governing entity - like a king or governor - but were considered extensions of the democratically governed town's fortifications. For most of San Marino's history, the three towers on Mount Titano were manned by volunteers, not professional soldiers. Because it was a sort of collective effort it was much more important that the town was protected as a whole.

The last battle that San Marino actively fought as a country (they supplied volunteer troops to Italy during each of the world wars) was in 1463, when they defeated the Malatesta counts of Rimini who had attempted to conquer San Marino. Soon after, because in part of its political structure, the country declared itself neutral in all military matters. Fortunately, the country was mostly spared from any threat of invasion in the following centuries.
This is the classic view of the Gauta from the walls of the Cesta tower. It is San Marino's one iconic sight, probably, and it's breathtaking. The castle structures are usually swarming with tourists - even now, in the offseason - but we were lucky enough to catch this unpopulated view as we were making our way along the mountaintop. If you go, be prepared for dozens of tourist-tchochky shops and a dizzying drop. Also, many steep staircases and walkways on your way up to the summit and the towertops.

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Tips on planning your holiday to South Africa

Booking a holiday to far flung destinations is never easy at the best of times but I just thought I would share some advice on booking a trip to South Africa. A holiday trip to somewhere like South Africa is an exciting and truly memorable one but requires planning if you are to avoid disappointment and heartache along the way.

The first thing to consider is the timing of your holiday. Many of us choose a destination like South Africa to escape colder climates and to enjoy some sun and adventure to get us through the dark cold nights of winter at home. South Africa is a popular holiday destination during the winter months between December to March time each year. The better summer months in South Africa are probably January to February with December offering a mixture of hot days with cooler days. One thing to bear in mind is the length of the days in South Africa. There is no winter clock change in South Africa resulting in early sunrises and early sunsets so come 5 O'Clock in the morning the sun is up. The longest day is generally around the 21st December and even then the sunsets about 19h00. December can offer quite chilly evenings so you will be well advised to bring a warm sweatshirt to pop on so that you can continue to enjoy your braii late into the evening. If you do choose to holiday in South Africa in December it is imperative to book your accommodation and any excursions early. Typically the factories close early in December and many locals take their well earned holidays over the December and early January period. Many guest houses and bed and breakfasts will be booked well in advance for the last 2 weeks of December and the first week of January especially those around the coast, the major holiday destinations and game reserves.

These busy periods will also effect your ability to book internal flights within South Africa. Again its easy to book these flights well in advance and take advantage of some of the local flight operators such as Kulula and SAA. Internal flight prices differ quite a bit depending on when you are looking to fly but booking early should assure you of reasonably priced travel. If you are choosing a fly-drive holiday then please be aware of the distances that you intend to travel. South Africa is a big country and distances between major towns can be vast. Petrol stations are not as frequent once you get outside major suburban areas so you are well advised to fill up before you start your journeys. Another consideration is to try and drive during the day. Driving at night can be quite different to driving at home as the roads are not lit outside of town and you need to be aware of cattle that may be crossing the road at night. Speed limits should be adhered especially around holiday periods as the police set regular speed traps around the country. Another tip for you is the "4 way stops" that they have in South Africa. These are in effect crossroads that dont have traffic lights (called 'robots' over here) and rely on a system whereby cars take it in turns as they arrive at the crossroads. It takes a bit of getting used to!

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