Born near Lucca, Italy, where his family raised chickens and produced prosciutto and cheese, he makes his own wine, honey, olive oil and tomato sauce, available for sale at julianoftheseasons.com.

WSJ: Julian Niccolini

And he serves as a knowledgeable, amiable host to a day out exploring the local artisan food and wine producers olive oil, honey, cheese, vinegar and the small crustacean Yabbies among them.

FORBES: Australia Ups Its Luxury Level With Posh Hotels And Nature Retreats

The southern mountains are dotted with tiny traditional villages, fantastic spots to buy hearty local olive oil and thyme honey, though Azogires has a freshwater lagoon where the itinerant nereids - those beguiling sea-nymphs of ancient Greek myth - can allegedly steal a man's soul on one sacred night each year.

BBC: Seductive southern Crete

"Bad weather in spring prevented honey bees in many areas from collecting nectar from early flowering crops such as oil seed rape, and the rain continued in many places throughout June and July preventing honey bees from foraging on later crops, " he said.

BBC: Honey harvest 'devastated' by wet summer

People have been using substances like olive oil, yogurt, vinegar, honey and aloe for skin care for ages, Day said, and now there are scientific studies that explain why they work.

CNN: Do's and don'ts for DIY skin care

About three hours in, we got a slab of lamb ribs cooked with honey and a side of potatoes with oregano, olive oil and lemon juice.

NPR: Crete: Ancient Diet with Modern Message