By Maureen O\u2019Hare, CNN<\/p>\n
(CNN) \u2014 In our roundup of travel stories this week: A hiking trail through the \u201cMountains of Heaven,\u201d why Champagne is getting boozier, plus a woman who found joy by moving from Las Vegas to an Italian island.<\/p>\n
Swapping Vegas for Italy<\/p>\n
Debra Coltune\u2019s life changed in 2023 when she traveled to the small island of San Pietro, off the southwestern tip of Sardinia, Italy, to act as a judge at a local tuna festival. She had no idea that the sleepy community of fewer than 6,000 people would soon become her home.<\/p>\n
As a food critic, she was there to judge tuna, but fish is just one small part of the traditionally plant-centered diet that makes Sardinia one of the world\u2019s five Blue Zones, recognized for the exceptional longevity of its inhabitants, many of whom live past 100 years old.<\/p>\n
For more than a decade, Coltune\u2019s life had revolved around the relentless pace of Las Vegas, where she felt she was constantly hustling to stay ahead.<\/p>\n
She immediately fell in love with San Pietro, however, telling CNN, \u201cThe island fills me with such joy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Within a year, she relocated to the island with her children, Aiden and Kaiya, and the family\u2019s two dogs. Read the full story<\/a> for what happened next.<\/p>\n Actor Billy Porter also discovered his dream island while working abroad, in his case on a cruise ship in Greece. In the CNN series \u201cMy Happy Place\u201d<\/a> he revisits Mykonos, the sun-kissed isle where he found freedom and belonging.<\/p>\n Untamed wilderness<\/p>\n For lovers of the great outdoors, here are two lesser-known hiking trails, one through Kyrgyzstan\u2019s spectacular Mountains of Heaven<\/a> and the other through the Balkans\u2019 Accursed Mountains<\/a>.<\/p>\n A nomadic tent network, allowing travelers to hike from yurt to yurt carrying just a day sack, has opened up the Ak-Suu Transverse trail through Kyrgyzstan.<\/p>\n The 70-mile trekking route was previously only tackled by hardcore climbers willing to haul heavy packs stuffed with days\u2019 worth of tents, food and clothing, but now this epic Central Asian wilderness can be enjoyed by many.<\/p>\n In Europe, the Peaks of the Balkans is a challenging but rewarding 120-mile hiking trail that winds its way through the Accursed Mountains<\/a> of Montenegro, Albania and Kosovo.<\/p>\n In the warmer months, hikers are rewarded with a landscape of towering limestone peaks, glacial lakes, rolling wildflower meadows and steamy cloud forests.<\/p>\n Wine and cheese<\/p>\n France, like much of the world, experienced record heat waves this summer, and they have affected the wine and cheeses for which the country is famous.<\/p>\n Grapes ripened so fast in the Champagne region that it had its earliest harvest on record \u2013 but another side effect was that the heat made the grapes sweeter, which means more alcohol<\/a>. France\u2019s wine regulators have even had to loosen regulations to accommodate the increased booziness.<\/p>\n The flavors of some of France\u2019s famous cheeses<\/a> have also been put at risk. Prolonged periods of drought scorched pastures where the country\u2019s dairy cows would normally graze, forcing farmers to supplement the animals\u2019 diets with extra feed, instead of their typical grass-based diet.<\/p>\n When cows are grass-fed, the cheeses are softer, yellower and more aromatic, but the less they get of the green stuff, the paler and less flavorsome the cheese.<\/p>\n Restaurant green flags<\/p>\n Chef, restaurateur and cultural commentator David Chang reveals what to pay attention to when choosing a restaurant<\/a>, from the diners to the menu to who is recommending it.<\/p>\n In case you missed it<\/p>\n She wanted one last epic adventure after a devastating diagnosis.<\/p>\n Being stuck for days in a pitch-black cave<\/a> wasn\u2019t part of the plan. (Subscribers only).<\/p>\n The Museum of Disgusting Food popped up in Hong Kong.<\/p>\n So CNN went along to sample the wares<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt like I almost blacked out.\u201d<\/p>\n Riding down one of Europe\u2019s tallest waterslides<\/a> five times.<\/p>\n A hero pilot. A panda delivery. A fashion spectacle.<\/p>\n