Editor’s Note: Sign up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel’s weekly newsletter. Get the latest news in aviation, food and drink, where to stay and other travel developments.
In travel news this week: soda cans exploding mid-flight, trouble in the Dublin wax museum, Italy’s must-try foods and the snack that’s too dangerous to serve in coach.
Tiramisù’s inventor has died
Raise your spoons this weekend to the inventor of tiramisù. Italian pastry chef Roberto Linguanotto, said to be the creator of the delicious mix of coffee-soaked ladyfingers and cocoa-sprinkled mascarpone, passed away on July 28. He was 81.
While the origins of this beloved dessert are hotly debated, the strongest claim is that Linguanotto rustled it up at a restaurant called Le Beccherie in Treviso, in the Veneto region of Italy, back in 1972.
A lot later than you thought? It’s just one of a number of iconic foods with surprising histories. If you’re hungry for more, take a look at our roundup of classic Italian dishes you need to try from across the country’s 20 regions. Expand your palate from pizza and porceddu to carbonara and culurgiones.
Airplane food and drink
We at CNN have warned you before about the perils of inflight drinking – the pressurized cabin makes alcohol effects worse – but there’s a new danger we hadn’t seen coming.
In the United States, soda cans have been exploding on Southwest flights “like little bombs.” Here’s why.
Over in Asia, instant noodles in hot water are the snack deemed so hazardous on Korean Air that they’re no longer being served to economy class passengers on long-haul flights (although prestige and first-class customers can still keep slurping). It’s all because of one of 2024’s least desirable travel trends: turbulence.
Continuing the theme of unfortunate eruptions at 35,000 feet, a “biohazard” prompted a United Airlines flight diversion on July 28, with the crew reportedly vomiting as they dealt with the matter. Here’s one group of people who’d be handy to have around in that situation: barf bag collectors. With most airlines no longer providing the spew sacks as standard, this community of hobbyists are the people to turn to when times get rough.
New UNESCO sites
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has been announcing the latest sites around the world to achieve World Heritage status. An ancient monastery in Gaza has been added to the list of World Heritage in Danger because of the war in the region.
And in the South Pacific, a group of Polynesian islands that gets only a few thousand visitors a year was added to the World Heritage List. Here’s what you need to know about the Marquesas.
Over in Britain, Hadrian’s Wall has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987, and it’s changing what we think about the Roman Empire. Here’s why.
There are now more than 1,200 UNESCO sites around the world, so if you’re making it your mission to visit them, a good planning app is in order. Our partners at CNN Underscored, a product reviews and recommendations guide owned by CNN, have reviewed the best.
American spotlight: Flagstaff, Arizona
CNN Travel recently unveiled its top 10 best towns to visit for 2024. Our sweetie in the sixth spot is Flagstaff, Arizona.
No longer just a Grand Canyon pit stop, this city at the base of the snow-capped San Francisco Peaks is a breath of fresh mountain air in northern Arizona, in stark contrast to the desert cities in the south of the state.
It’s also surrounded by the world’s largest ponderosa pine forest, meaning it’s a great outdoorsy spot for biking, trail running, winter skiing and summertime hiking.
In case you missed it
An Irish museum pulled its Sinéad O’Connor waxwork after just one day.
Take a look. Truly, nothing compares.
Well done, you can pronounce Sinéad.
But do you pass the test on these other Irish names?
The latest three-year cruise is running two months late.
You could fit in about 30 flight circumnavigations in that time.
Italy’s famous “Path of Love” has reopened after 12 years.
It’s in one of the most scenic spots in a very scenic country.