As the diverse South American country of Colombia as a whole has pulled off an impressive comeback from the drug and guerrilla violence especially of the 1980s and 1990s (in the process creating a booming tourism industry surrounding its many compelling destinations and experiences), so has its second largest city. Tucked into an Andes valley of Colombia’s north-central department of Antioquía – giving it among other things the fresh climate leading to its nickname “city of eternal spring” – since its early 17th-century origins, Medellín has for the most part enjoyed an illustrious history. And in these days, its dark turn of the closing decades of the 20th century, dominated by a drug cartel and its brutal leaders like Pablo Escobar, has finally been relegated to the past thanks to innovative policies and infrastructure building (like a plaza devoted to the sculpture of hometown artist Fernando Botero and a groundbreaking public cable car system to help integrate the poor hillside communities with the rest of the city) that have helped give this city a dynamic new lease on life, with a dramatic easing of poverty and crime. And through it all, one of the most looked-forward-to events on the annual calendar of Medallo (as it’s also fondly known) runs today through Sunday. Marking its 60th anniversary this year, the Feria de las Flores spans various dates from late July through early August, which while also by extension a celebration of the history and culture of Antioquía, is also focused above all on one of the region’s defining mainstays: an important concentration of Colombia’s critical...keep reading