San Marino

A view from the castle in San Marino, 2015

Flew into Rome, and then took a day trip to San Marino, then stayed the night in Rome. Situated in the enclave of central Italy, the capital of San Marino is …. San Marino. There are approximately 35,000 people living here. The locals, who are regarded as “Sammarinese” speak Italian and practice Roman Catholicism.

When visiting, adventurers should visit all three of the breathtaking mountain peaks that overlook the city of San Marino. The three peaks are Guaita, De La Fratta, and Montale. Most tourists enjoy the cuisine here and Piadina is one such notable popular local flatbread that is sure to satisfy most taste buds.

One fun fact is that San Marino is the smallest independent state in Europe after the Vatican and Monaco!

 

Spectacular views of Italy from the top of San Marino!

Guatemala

Ruins in Tikal! Country Information: Tropical Guatemala, a small country about the size of Ohio! The capital of Guatemala is Guatemala City. Guatemala gained independence in 1821 and has roughly 16 million people—the most populated country in all of Central America!...

Armenia

Country Information: About 4 million people live in Armenia and the country was founded in 1991. The capital is Erevan and the official language is Armenian. The primary religion is Christianity, without about 95 percent of Armenians as followers. The top exports are...

France

On our "Backroads" bike trip from Provence to Cannes in France Jim's Perspectives: I've lost count of how many times I have visited this gem of a country. Some of the more memorable time were as a young man right out of college, I took two summers to improve my...