I spent half an hour up at Baristas yesterday talking to, well, the baristas.

So far, they’ve all been from Italy, and some of them have had long careers on ships. The guy pictured left in the photo above, Gianni, started working on ships in the 1980s and has served on Sitmar, Royal Viking Line, Silversea, Crystal and more. He’s from Verona, Italy, and has been exceptionally friendly to every guest who steps up to the counter.

Oceania Riviera serves Illy coffee, free of charge, at Baristas, which overlooks the pool deck.

When Marina was under construction in Genoa, I asked Frank del Rio why a coffee bar in this enviable spot on the ship? Why not a wine bar? He told me that Oceania’s guests weren’t huge consumers of alcohol, that their focus, generally, was on seeing the destinations and enjoying the ship. Okay, works for me. Think I’ll go up and have a macchiato and catch up on a little maritime history with Gianni.