Touted as one of the most photogenic cities in Europe, the romantic city of Varenna, Italy continues to vex visitors with its alluring water views of serene Lake Como, an abundance of picturesque streets, and plenty of historic villas to explore. Guaranteed to inspire even the most tightly wound traveler to kick back and relax, Varenna offers a more authentic Italian experience compared to many of the popular tourist destinations in the country and is undoubtedly why those who discover it want to return again and again.

Things to See and Do

Colorful fisherman houses rimmed by a delightful stone beach cradle the shoreline of Varenna allowing visitors to spend hours exploring the waterfront before traversing the beautiful lanes winding throughout the village.

Grab a cup of delicious ice cream at one of Varenna’s gelateries and head for the shores of Lake Como to bask in the breathtaking beauty and expanse of its shimmering, blue-green waters, lush plant life, and exotic floral perfumery. Get an up-close view of the lake by hopping aboard one of the many wondrous boat tours available.

Varenna Castle, or Castello di Vezio, is a popular venue and it sits proudly overlooking the village. Many make the trek up its winding walkway to watch falconry demonstrations featured at this medieval fortress despite the steep walk back down. Its main tower is characterized by commanding square merlons on all sides as well as restored battlements and a working drawbridge.

Located in the nearby commune of Lenno and on the western shores of Lake Como, Villa del Balbianello attracts visitors for its notoriety as being the setting for both James Bond’s Casino Royale and Star Wars films. Stroll through its magnificent, terraced gardens blooming with rare plant life and surrounded by intriguing statues and sculptured plane trees.

Once the home of a Prussian princess who received the villa as a wedding gift, the stunning structure of Villa Carlotta in nearby Tremezzo is worth the short jaunt for any visitor to the area. Peruse the lush botanical gardens featuring colorful rhododendrons and azaleas, giant sequoia, a Japanese garden, and a serene fern valley. Serving also as a gallery, visitors can explore beautiful local art on display.

An archipelago belonging to the Netherlands, the stunning island of Bonaire lies just off the coast of Venezuela in the southern region of the Caribbean. It’s the easternmost of the ABC Islands – Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao.  Bonaire’s beauty is due in part to an impressive coral reef and designated national park just steps from the shore. And, an abundance of wondrous dive sites line the beaches teeming with sea life.

Things to See and Do

Bonaire is famous for being a diver’s paradise. Visitors can grab their gear and find great diving and snorkeling spot right off the shore. One of the best dive spots is near the salt flats, but there are plenty of prime diving areas anywhere on the west side of Bonaire to snorkel or dive in fish-filled reefs.

Along with being a great dive site, Bonaire is among the best places for kiteboarding and windsurfing. Lac Bonaire Bay, on the southeast part of the island, is sheltered from waves, but receives a steady supply of easterly trade winds. Whether a beginner or expert, this is an ideal place to play in the sea.

The festive holiday season of Carnival is a fun time to visit Bonaire. Due to the small size of the island, it’s easy to see why everyone gets caught up in Carnival spirit. Visitors and locals come together to enjoy the colorful parade, costumes, music, and dancing.

One of the most unique physical features of Bonaire are its salt flats rising like white mountains visible from the shore. Along with the steady trade winds and abundant sunshine turning sea water into salt, the production of sea salt has been a primary industry on Bonaire for over four centuries.

Before refrigeration, salt was essential for preserving meat and fish. After dried salt is collected, it’s carried by conveyer belt to the hold of a cargo ship, and from there it travels to a Cargill plant to be made into its final form to be distributed to kitchens and tables all over the world.

Bonaire is also a famous nesting area for pink flamingos and many of Bonaire’s saltwater marshes and ponds are home to the lovely birds. Pink flamingos often make their homes in Bonaire’s salt flats, eating pink crustaceans that contribute to the salt flat pool’s pink color. This diet helps determine the flamingo’s salmon pink color.

The Maverick of Marysville

Hemp Grower Shares Strategies for Buying Seeds and More

(Marysville, OH) Making the turn into April Currati’s farm in Marysville, a rooster crows on cue and dogs signal that someone’s in the driveway. In the distance, a four-wheeler fires up and makes its way from the fields at the back of the property. Wearing green, mirrored sunglasses, April steers her ATV toward the farmhouse to welcome us.

It’s a clear, summer afternoon and light showers passing through earlier in the day were just enough to make the hemp growing in her field perk up in a vibrant shade of green and the soil gush softly beneath her sandals as she leads us along rows to view her crop. It’s been super dry, she says, and the yards of irrigation hose winding along the plants have been put to use. In Colorado, where she first started growing hemp three years ago, supplemental irrigation was common, she said, and farm supply stores kept a consistent stock of it.

Next, we follow her inside the shed designed to house April’s seedlings. Rows of perfect sprouts line up like soldiers under a grow lamp. “This is my favorite part,” she says.

Adjacent to her main field, a newly constructed hoop greenhouse is full to the brim with healthy hemp plants enjoying their controlled environment. A display of her product line, Ohio Apothecary, is arranged near the entrance and we’re introduced to some of her tinctures, salves, pet treats and loose-leaf teas she produces as a licensed Ohio Hemp Cultivator. Her products are Ohio Department of Agriculture Certified and contain carefully selected ingredients like “specifically organic MCT oil” – a refined coconut oil the body can easily digest and transport to the liver to be converted to energy.

A staunch supporter of local businesses, she sources ingredients nearby when at all possible. “I buy my beeswax from a guy fifteen miles away,” she said.

Sitting down to talk to her about her hemp growing experience, April describes herself as a teacher first and foremost. “Education is my passion,” she said. In Ohio’s infant hemp industry, her engaging presence on social media shows she enjoys sharing what she’s learned and educating fellow farmers. “There’s no reason why we can’t help each other,” she said. As founder of Facebook’s, Ohio Hemp Growers Helping Growers group, April’s upbeat posts are fun and informative; members collaborate with updates and national hemp news.

Helping new hemp growers is something April does in part so others can avoid the problems she’s run into. Buying seeds is one of the toughest tasks for a new grower and she learned the hard way; buying 10,000 seeds that turned out to be not what was promised and losing her entire first growing season as a result. “If you don’t buy it (seeds) direct from the breeder, it’s not worth it,” she said. “I wouldn’t do it.” She recommends asking tons of questions when contacting a seed retailer such as if their seeds are early growers and whether they are drought, mold, and mildew resistant. If you have your eye on a particular variety, April suggests inquiring “what spacing is recommended for the seed and for any and all COA’s they have available.”

“They may be leery to show any above the .3% mark,” she said, “but it’s important to understand when the flower should be harvested to remain compliant. I generally like to ask about the parentage as well. This information they may or may not want to give to you, but you should at least understand what to expect from that variety. It’s also very important to ask for references from a breeder or if they have any flower samples they can send.”

Oregon CBD, High Alpine Genetics, and Front Range Biosciences are seed breeders April recommends. “You’ve got to be willing to talk to people,” she said. “There’s stars who rise to the top, breeders I’ve learned to trust.”

It’s the wild west in seed buying for a new hemp grower. “You have to ask the right questions,” she said.

During a 2006 interview on Good Morning America, Williams spoke about relapsing. “It waits. It lays in wait for the next time when you think, ‘It’s fine now, I’m okay. Then, the next thing you know, it’s not okay. Then you realize, Where am I? I didn’t realize I was in Cleveland’.”