The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word TRIESTE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
T
R
I
E
S
T
E
More clues leading to the result TRIESTE
- Port tastes sweet and drinkable ultimately
- Tests extremes of tide in port
- Sad about European city on the Adriatic
- Goes over the evacuated Italian port
- Before first samples of Tempranillo, samples port
- Mediterranean port tests limits of trade
- French art shown in dull Italian port
- Sad in France, English staying in seaside city
- Hears them, oddly, in Italian city
- Hears what’s before do in European city
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "city on the Adriatic" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case city on the adriatic = trieste.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.