The summer of 2006 saw the return to Venice of the great sailing ships that brought glory and fame to La Serenissima and to the shipbuilding traditions of her world-renowned Arsenal.

The American cruise line operator, Star Clippers, chose the port of Venice as a preferred stopover for their three most prestigious vessels - the flagship Royal Clipper, the 4-mast Star Clipper and the Star Flyer - en route towards the islands of the Western Mediterranean.

The Royal Clipper is the largest true fully rigged sailing ship in the world, and no wonder it is such an impressive spectacle to behold, with each of its 5 masts towering up to 135 meters in height, together supporting a total of 42 gleaming white sails. To put this in some sort of context, our own Amerigo Vespucci features three masts that extend to a 'mere' 110 meters each.

To celebrate the presence of these important ships, R.B. - official supplier to the Star Clippers line - organized an evening of entertainment, complete with aperitifs, for passengers on board the Star Flyer moored at San Basilio's Pier 27.

R.B., a company with years of experience in the naval sector, has its roots in Venice. Although it has now become a major international player, the company continues to offer cruise ships a flexible service that is tailored to meet their needs – an approach that is very much in the spirit of Venice’s proud maritime traditions.

The wines served at the event were provided by a young winery from the Triveneto that already featured prominently on the wine lists of these exclusive ships. Tenuta Santomè is located in the very heart of the Marca Trevigiana area, in Biancade, from where it produces a number of modern-style wines that tap the potential of state-of-the-art technologies. The winery's Prosecco is particularly cutting-edge.

At the event, the aperitifs were accompanied by a tango, performed by the dance teacher from the Venetian dance school Isla de Tango, Gianfranco Bellemo, together with his partner Roberta Saivezzo, to the sound of Argentinian music.

Dal 2004 la Tenuta Santomè fornisce regolarmente tutta la flotta della Star Clippers.