Our Celebrity Cruise left from Ravenna, but because of bad planning on my part I didn’t allow us enough time to see the mosaics and St. Vitale. A future trip, perhaps. We settled in and enjoyed our first night on the ship, meeting a young couple from Vancouver, Canada at the martini bar who Steve referred to as Taylor and Travis for the rest of the trip.

We were taken to the underground wine cave, 69 steps down to the bunker, and 69 steps back up

Our first stop was Trieste, which is across the Adriatic from Venice and about 19 miles from Croatia. It was part of Austria until 1954 and became part of Italy following the London Memorandum. It’s the capital of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, the most northeastern part of Italy. Its architecture is more Austrian than Italian, and the coast is dotted with mussel and branzino farms.

We toured Spessa Castle, now a vineyard, spa, golf course and hotel. The castle has beautiful grounds, and a winery and wine shop. There is a sculpture of Casanova in the gardens. Giacomo Casanova was a longtime guest who seduced a local widow for whom his host had feelings. The ensuing fight caused Casanova to flee in his underwear! It’s quite obvious the guides really like telling that story.

We were taken to the underground wine cave, 69 steps down to the bunker, and 69 steps back up. Thankfully the wine tasting followed; Santarosa Pinot bianco, Rassauer Friulano, and Torriani Merlot. Unfortunately they have no US distributors. 

The next stop was Castello di Duino. This castle is perched over the Adriatic and stands on an old Roman guard post from the third century AD. It has beautiful views, grounds that are planted with over 2000 plants annually, and was the home to a princess born in the US. Helena Holbrook Walker was the heir to the Hiram Walker distillery (think Canadian Club) and her fortune helped rebuild the castle, the seat of her husband Prince Alessandro. The castle hosted many famous people in its heyday, including Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Johann Strauss, and Franz Liszt. There is a pianoforte played by Liszt.

The old castle sits on a rock in the Adriatic, the “new” one is on more solid ground. There is a room facing west that is plastered with a mix that includes quartz, and at sunset glows with a pink light. Lovely!

Deborah