80% of San Marino is rocky, and only 32 thousand people live on an area of 60.6 sq. km.
According to legend, in 301 AD, a Christian saint from the island of Rab in the Adriatic Sea (territory of modern Croatia), a stonemason named Marin, took refuge on the top of Monte Titano.
Therefore, formally San Marino has been considered an independent state since September 301. In fact, we can talk about independence only starting from the 16th century, when Italy broke up into many independent territories.
The area of the state is only 60.57 square meters. km. The country is located at an altitude of 738 m above sea level on the southwestern slope of the Monte Titano mountain range. In the photo: Government Palace:
San Marino has very low taxes, so many people seek local citizenship. But this is extremely difficult to do, and at best, after 15 years of marriage to a San Mari.
Snow in San Marino is a fairly rare occurrence, and it usually doesn’t last long. But 2 weeks before our arrival, there was plenty of it: during our stay, there were meter-long snowdrifts in the shady areas:
Unlike Italy, where sweet wines are not accepted, there are more than enough of them in San Marino. Personally, I liked the plum one the most, although, of course, each had its own twist.
Despite low taxes, prices in San Marino are generally no lower than in Italian stores.
Low taxes also give rise to a huge variety of banks.
The total length of the state's roads is only 104 km and all of them are winding:
A high economic level has a positive effect on the level of cars. Italian supercars are much easier to find here than in neighboring Italy.
There are narrow streets all around:
The higher you climb, the more beauty of nature opens up to us. On the clearest days you can see Croatia with binoculars.
San Marino is located in the visa area of Italy.
On the top of Mount Titano (755 meters), the Cesta fortress was built in the 16th century. Although the tower was rebuilt several times, its medieval appearance was not lost:
The most important of the three famous San Marian towers is the Guaita Tower. It was originally used as a watchtower and fortress. Subsequently, some rooms of the fortress were used as a prison, because it is extremely difficult to escape from here, because... The tower is surrounded by a double ring of fortress walls:
Tourism plays a significant role in the country's economy, and up to 2 million people are involved in the tourism industry in the state every year. More than 3 million tourists visit San Marino every year.
San Francisco was founded by the Spanish and gained importance during the Gold Rush. In the center of the city there is Russian Hill, Russian Hills. It received this name back during the Gold Rush, when the burials of Russian traders and sailors were discovered on the hill. The slopes of the hill are so steep that some streets rise up in tiers. Lombard Street in Russian Hills is considered the most winding street in the world.
The symbol of San Francisco and one of the symbols of the United States is the Golden Gate Bridge. It was once the longest suspension bridge in the world. But even after giving the palm to others, he did not lose his splendor. Car traffic on the bridge was launched at Roosevelt's personal signal. When the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the bridge was celebrated in 1987, about 300 thousand people crossed it in one day. The speed of movement on the bridge is limited to 72 km/h, since the dividing strip made of plastic posts is not capable of preventing a car from entering the oncoming lane. This leads to serious accidents. Bridge tolls are charged one way only. You can cross the bridge from San Francisco completely free of charge.
Unfortunately, the Golden Gate Bridge is notorious for a high number of suicides. On average, 2 people drop off it per month. At a distance of 75 meters from the water, a person hits its surface at a speed of approximately 100 km/h, which is fatal. Only one person managed not to be seriously injured after jumping from the bridge, and the total number of survivors in the entire history of the bridge is 26 people.
San Francisco is a city of freedom. In the 60s, it was chosen by hippies, who spent the famous “Summer of Love” in the city. And later it became the birthplace of the rainbow flag. According to some data, about 15% of the city's population belongs to sexual minorities. There is no other city like this in the US. In San Francisco, homosexuals are treated much more tolerantly than in the provinces.
Alcatraz Island is located in San Francisco Bay and is home to one of the most famous prisons in the world. Currently it has been turned into a museum. The fort on the island was built during the Gold Rush to protect the city.
The first prison on Alcatraz was a military prison. The attitude towards prisoners was quite lenient. During the day, they were not in the cells, but worked, helping with the housework of the island’s residents, and even looked after the children. The prisoners even had their own baseball team, but things changed when the military prison was replaced by a federal one. They were not sent to Alcatraz by court order. Convicts who regularly violated prison rules or tried to escape ended up here. Escape from Alcatraz was considered impossible. The conditions were very strict, and the cold waters of San Francisco Bay roared around the island. However, it is possible that one successful escape was accomplished. In 1962, brothers Anglin and Frank Morris tried to escape from prison. The escape turned out to be successful. The official version says that the fugitives failed to cross the bay. But their bodies were not found. The program “MythBusters” showed that the escape could well have been successful. The movie "Escape from Alcatraz" was based on this story. Another famous prisoner was Al Capone.
These are just a few facts about the interesting and unusual city of San Francisco. There is no other one like it in the USA. And, probably, to understand America you definitely need to include this city in your trip.
It is impossible to get to a small country called San Marino by train or plane due to the fact that there is neither a railway nor an airport. The small town of Borgo Maggiore has the only heliport in the country, but it is intended, as the name suggests, to serve exclusively helicopters. Therefore, most tourists arrive in San Marino by road. This country is amazing, here are just some interesting facts about the tiny state.
The territory of San Marino is just over 60 square kilometers, and about 30,000 inhabitants live here. This state is surrounded on all sides by Italy.
San Marino can be called one of the oldest states in Europe. Back in 301 AD, the stonecutter Marin arrived here from the island of Rab, who was a Christian and fled here to Mount Monte Titano, hiding from persecution for his beliefs.
Marin was later canonized, and his memory day, September 3, is celebrated as a national holiday in the country. Saint Marin is considered the founder and patron of the state of San Marino.
There are only two states in Europe whose territory is smaller than San Marino. These are the Vatican and Monaco.
San Marino even has its own army. True, its numbers can make you smile: the permanent contingent numbers from 75 to 100 people. Military personnel are mainly busy participating in national holidays and meeting foreign delegations.
We live in the 21st century, this is an obvious fact for us. But in San Marino it’s only the eighteenth century. This is explained by the fact that the country has its own chronology, which dates back to the creation of the state - from 301.
If the country's own population is only 30,000 inhabitants, then up to 3,000,000 people come here annually. It is easy to calculate that there are 100 times more of them than local ones.
By the way, tourism is the main source of replenishment of the state budget. In addition, San Marino receives good income from the sale of postage stamps.
Is it possible for a foreigner to obtain San Marino citizenship? You can, for example, by marrying a person who already has citizenship of this country. 15 years after marriage, an application for citizenship is submitted. Or take the “simple” option - live in San Marino for 30 years! Moreover, the countdown begins not from the moment you enter the country, but after receiving a residence permit. You will also have to renounce the citizenship of your former country: dual citizenship is not allowed in San Marino.
Despite the fact that San Marino is located inside Italy, the average income of a resident of this country is much higher than that of an Italian.
The official language in San Marino is Italian. But the Sanmarinians themselves really don’t like being called Italians. They are proud to have their own citizenship and constitution. In 1861, even the President of the United States expressed his respect for this small country, indicating in his letter: “Despite the fact that your state is small, it is one of the most revered in history.”
The San Marino national football team began participating in international tournaments thirty years ago - in the late eighties of the last century. True, I did not achieve much success. In their entire history, San Marino footballers have won only one victory, and in a friendly match. This event took place on April 28, 2004, when players from San Marino were able to score one goal against the Liechtenstein team.
Interesting facts about San Francisco.
1. A city with many names
San Francisco was originally called Yerba Buena, a Spanish name meaning "Good Grass". "Baghdad by the Bay" and "The City That Knows How" are among the city's most famous nicknames.
2. City of Billionaires
Did you know that San Francisco is one of the richest cities in the world? It ranks fourth in the world after New York, Moscow and London in terms of the number of billionaires.
3. The bridge is too long to paint
One of the most important tourist spots in San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge.
It opened in 1937 and is the second longest bridge in the world. It connects San Francisco to Marin County and Redwood Empire. The Golden Gate is constantly being painted and repainted because it is so long that when a team of workers finishes painting, they have to start all over again.
4. Other facts
Muir Woods, an extremely scenic site with giant sequoia trees, is located across the Golden Gate Bridge. San Francisco is the city where many things that are familiar to us today were born and surround us everywhere. For example, Chinese cookies that tell your fortune were invented by Makato Hagiwara at the Japanese Tea Garden (San Francisco has the highest Chinese population in the world). Jeans were invented here, for the miners who mined gold in the city. They needed clothes that were rough and comfortable at the same time.
5. There is coffee for everyone
San Francisco is famous for its coffee shops. Irish coffee was invented here, and Caffe Trieste was the first coffee shop in the city since 1956. It is said that Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather trilogy was written in this place.
6. Strange streets and landmarks
Many people think that Lombard Street is the most confusing, but in fact, Vermont Avenue is the most confusing.
The prison on Alcatraz Island, where especially dangerous American criminals were kept, operated until 1963 and was at that time the only federal prison where prisoners took warm showers. But the reason for this was not at all humanistic considerations: the administration decided that prisoners, having become accustomed to comfort, had less chance of successfully escaping by swimming across the cold San Francisco Bay. Al Capone spent the last 5 years of his life there.
7. The Mouse (mouse) was invented in Silicon Valley and the image of the blue sky and hills that appears by default on Windows XP is a photograph taken in Napa Valley.
8. There are several versions of the origin of the “High five!” gesture, but the most common one points to its first appearance in a baseball game on October 2, 1977.
Los Angeles Dodgers players Dusty Baker and Glenn Burke played a successful combination, after which Burke raised his hand above his head in delight. Not knowing what to do, Baker slapped his hand with his own. Three years later, Burke, an openly gay man, was forced to retire from baseball, but he never forgot the gesture. He popularized it in the Castro district of San Francisco, known as a densely populated area of sexual minorities, where the “High Five” became a symbol of gay self-identification.
9. In 1932, due to the Great Depression, the Brazilian government was unable to find money for athletes to travel to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The solution was to put a delegation of 82 athletes on a ship with coffee and force them to sell it on the way to America. Upon arrival at the port of San Pedro, the athletes were faced with the requirement of its administration to pay a dollar for each person who went ashore. Since there was not enough money for everyone, only those who had a chance of winning a medal were released from the ship. Then the ship sailed to San Francisco, sold another batch of coffee there, returned and landed some more athletes, but 15 Brazilian Olympians never made it to Los Angeles.
10. During the Crimean War of 1853-1856, the only influential power that remained friendly to Russia was the United States. American volunteers, including surgeons, helped Russian troops. When the British and French held a banquet in San Francisco after the fall of Sevastopol, not a single one of the invited Americans came there, and the celebration hall itself was destroyed by the crowd.
11. In the 19th century, entrepreneur Joshua Norton lived in San Francisco. After financial failures, he apparently went mad and assumed the title His Imperial Majesty Emperor Norton I of the United States and Protector of Mexico. However, the townspeople reacted to his eccentricity with humor - banknotes signed by the “emperor” were accepted in restaurants and shops, and when they met, people saluted him.
Norton issued many decrees and decrees, which were readily published in newspapers. The most famous among them is the decree dissolving the US Congress; for obvious reasons, it was ignored by Congress. After Norton's death in 1880, it was discovered that he had no savings, but the townspeople quickly collected the amount necessary for the funeral, and more than 10 thousand people came to the funeral itself.
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