We did it. We begged, we cajoled, we promised great rewards, and finally we bribed our family members into watching our three boys so we could reach escape velocity and slip away on a “business trip” that happened to include a seven-day voyage through the Adriatic and Aegean seas on a luxurious cruise ship. All in the name of day-job work.
But lest we forget that all play and no work makes our editor nervous, we decided to take advantage of the local offerings and report back the results of our diligent research. We were fortunate enough to have on board a second-generation Italian wine merchant, Stefano Mearini, whose Charleston wine shop — located in the Tuscan town of Arezzo — is internationally known for its high-end selections. Mearini was hired to select all of the wonderful Italian vino for the shipboard meals and decadent snacks.
