San Marino

A day trip from Bologna up to the three towers. Take the lift up early, walk the Witches' Path before the crowds, then go back down to Bologna for dinner.

We based ourselves in Bologna for two nights, which is the easiest way to see San Marino, because you can drive up in the morning, climb the mountain, and come back down for dinner. Our Sunday started in a multi-storey car park called P9, where the panoramic lift carries you straight up to the Porta San Francesco gate. You don't have to drive into the old town, which is high and car-free, and that alone makes the day easier. We got there before the tour buses, which is the tip I'd pass along most.

From the gate we walked up through the Piazza della Libertà and bought a combined ticket for the first two towers. The Guaita is the oldest and most iconic, and the Cesta is slightly higher, with a small museum of old weapons. Between them runs the Passo delle Streghe, the Witches' Path, a ridge walk with the valley opening out on one side and the Adriatic haze in the distance. It is the view on the San Marino postcards, and it's better in person because you can hear the wind. We stamped our passports at the tourist office and bought a Torta Tre Monti, the layered wafer cake with chocolate and hazelnut cream, from a bakery in the old town. It travelled in a paper bag all the way back to Lisbon and tasted just as good there.

Lunch was at La Terrazza, which has the best view in the republic. The restaurant is mostly glass, with a classic-elegant room and the whole valley laid out below. We ordered the beef steak and the lamb chops, which the reviews had raved about, and they lived up to it. Taking in that view while you eat is half the experience.

On the second night we went back down to Bologna for dinner at Vicolo Colombina, where chef Massimiliano Poggi does Bolognese with a modern edge. The tagliatelle al ragù comes to the table as a little pyramid, and it is the most theatrical pasta I have ever eaten. The tortellini in brodo was the other dish everyone talks about, and it earned the attention. Bologna is hot in late August, so the cool of San Marino in the morning felt like a small reward for the drive.

Reflection: San Marino takes one day, and it's a day you will remember. Go early, take the lift up, walk the ridge before the crowds arrive, and then spend the evening in Bologna, which is a better place to eat than almost anywhere in Europe.