2019-09-06/07 Santa Maria di Leuca to Brindisi, Italy

After and extra day with our mechanics working on the motor of our boat finally we depart Santa Maria de Leuca. The delightful young couple on the yacht berthed beside us, gave us a lovely send off as we left the marina berth

As we depart the marina we look back to the Monastery and the conspicuous lighthouse on the southern most point of the heel of Italy

Arrivederci Porto di Leuca

Once out of the port we head in an easterly direction before our journey north up the eastern Italian coast

As we go around the south east point of the heel of Italy we pass the iconic lighthouse of Santa Maria di Leuca

Nearby there are numerous grottos which are a popular destination for small tourist boats

Amazing cloud formations as we continue north up the coast!!

We pass the hillside village of Gagliano del Capo, which we drove through on our way to Lecce a few days ago

We continue up the south east coast of the heel

Faro della Palacia is the lighthouse at Italy’s easternmost point of Italy. There is only 72 km (39 nautical miles) distance between Italy and the closest point of Albania across the Strait of Otranto

We pass the ancient coastal town of Otranto which has a 15 Century Aragonese Castle and an 11th Century Otranto Cathedral

We continue our long journey to the safe port of Brindisi which we visited by hire car a few days ago

As we continue up the coast the weather conditions started to abruptly change

Very dark clouds started appearing over the coastal areas as we passed Torre Veneri, a historical landmark of the area

When the rain came the windscreen wipers were working overtime on the Tangaroa

We experienced quite a severe electrical storm off the coast of Torre dell’Orso

Although the conditions travelling up the coast were quite wild and windy, the Tangaroa handled them very well

The sky and cloud formations looked unbelievable as we continued on to Brisini

Finally in the distance we see our destination

We approach the entrance to the ancient port of Brisini

Brisini today is a major commercial port of Italy

Near the entrance to the Port of Brindisi is Isloa Taversa, the small island which is part of the Pedagne Islands. It has a lighthouse which is 18 m high with a range of 13 nautical miles and was built in the mid 1800’s

As we make our way into the port we see the ancient Colonne Romane, Roman Columns

Opposite the Roman Columns is the prominent Monumento al Marinaio, the Monument to the Sailors

Numerous yachts were moored along the town quay

We decided to join a few other boats and moor along the quay by the ancient steps of the Roman Columns

After quite a precarious trip up the coast to Brisini we were relieved to sit down and relax and enjoy a refreshing drink on the Tangaroa

We have a wonderful position along the town quay at the bottom of the ancient steps that lead up to the ancient columns that represent the end to the Appian Way. The 62 km ancient Roman road was built in 312-264 BC and begins in Rome and finishes here in Brisini.
An amazing history and an amazing place to moor the Tangaroa overnight!!

Shortly after 6 pm we noticed a flotilla of boats slowly passing by us

Over the many years travelling we have seen several of these ceremonies where a Madonna statue is taken aboard a boat which is followed by a procession of local boats. It is believed that it is to bless the sailors and fishermen, to keep them safe and have a profitable year