Into the Adriatic and a Visit to Otranto
05 July 2009 | Otranto, Italy
Sailing in a light wind we entered the Adriatic Sea and by early afternoon were berthed along the sea wall by the Guardia Costiera station in the historic port of Otranto. White uniformed officials welcomed our arrival and were keen for us to complete a new documentation process, one providing a "permit to navigate Italian waters". Interestingly it was our first introduction to this procedure, even though we had sought it out in many Ligurian ports (including Genoa) upon our arrival to the N Italian coast last July, just a week short of one year ago!
Officious, but not unfriendly, the C.G. staff explained the requirement to check in and out with the Coast Guard at each Italian port as we go north and to be sure to turn in all the paperwork at our last port of call before sailing to Croatia, so we have a few more check-ins and check-outs to go.
The old walled town with an Aragonese castle and a Romanesque cathedral was perfect for an evening stroll. Inside the walls was a tightly packed center of car-free lanes, with shops, inviting cafes and the bustle of tourists. The view of the harbor from the high castle walls was enchanting at sunset and we soon had a plan for a 2nd night so we could explore the Otranto sights in the daylight and do a bit of provisioning in the local supermarket.
The old town's premier attraction is the cathedral's wildly colorful 12th C.mosaic tile floor, created by a young monk called Pantaleone. Occupying the whole of the large nave, the bizarre designs combine visions of the classic, religion and superstition: Adam & Eve appear with Diana the Huntress and Hercules, King Arthur and Alexander are nearby, along with a whole menagerie of monkeys, snakes and sea monsters. It is amazing that it survived at all as many Turks stabled their horses here during the bloody 1480 "Sack of Otranto". For the goulish, with Craig leading the crowd, a side chapel had glass cabinets of skulls and bones of the 800 Christian martyrs who resisted the Turks and were beheaded when they refused to renounce their religion. Quite a gory tale and sight!
Cruiser's Note: We tied stern-to at the Coast guard station where a local marina had secured buoys and lines. The Coast Guard emphasized that "their wall" was free and was the good supply of water, but there might be a charge for the lines; turned out to be 20€ per night. If we had tied side-to, further down the quay (also on the CG wall but closer to fishing boats) we think it would have been free.