TE Italy 2024
Arriving from Tanzania, we drove to Monfalcone to get continue on True East. On route we stayed at the wonderful Castello de Roncade, an estate owned by only two families over the last 400 years. Naturally we loaded up on a few cases of wine.
Returning to the boat, we found the yard had done a really excellent job of refinishing the bottom and tuning the props. After a night on the dock we headed for Trieste. While the dockage was less than ideal, we did love the city.
With some extra time on our hands before meeting guests in Venice, we decided to go back down the coast to Slovenia because we loved it so much the first time. We visited Koper for a lunch stop and then on to Portoroz, unremarkable. Next day a short hop to one of our favorite cities, Piran. Dan will never forget the carbonara served here.
Next we headed to Italy, stopping in Grado, very much a resort town with a carousel and lots of beach. On to Punta Faro on the edge of the Marono Lagoon, another resort town. At the Miami boat show we had met the owners of Marina del Cavallino, so stopping at their marina was a must. This great father and son team showed us the area and recommended taking the tender into Burano. This was about a 10 mile ride thru the Venetian lagoon to this colorfully little island town. Lunch at Riva Rosa was wonderfully classical Italian…Mamma Mia!
On to Venice where we stayed on the east end of the Island and enjoyed walking the city and visiting the Biennale Art festival. Our Barcelona friends Oriol and Eric joined us in Venice for a long weekend trip to Rimini, poor Tomas forgot to set his alarm clock. Along the way, we stopped for a night at Chioggia the southern flood barriers is located, a massive structure. We were surprised to find offshore oil rigs off the coast here, now abandoned and being dismantled. Lots of swims, good food and wine along this leg of the cruise. What a wonderful surprise to see not one but two flocks of flamingoes flying towards Venice!
After dropping off Oriol and Eric, Marcia managed to find another mini golf. Rimini turned out to be a fun walking city with the river running thru. From there, we had an amazingly calm crossing back to Croatia landing in Pula.
