Naples

I’m always enchanted by glorious and gritty Naples, the unruly city of striking contrasts and bewitching allure. And the food! Neapolitans do best all the things I love the most: pizza, pasta, coffee and sweets. I spent a long, activity-packed day in this tasty city on my recent trip to stay at the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria in Sorrento. Here are some of my favorite moments from the visit:

1. A walk down Via dei Tribunali

This chaotic and captivating street in historic Naples is bustling with street food vendors, pastry shops, trinket stores overflowing with good luck charms, and some of the best pizzarias in the city, therefore the world. I was on an unfortunately tight schedule and didn’t explore the area as thoroughly as I would have liked. I easily could have spent an entire afternoon leisurely wandering in and out of the small markets, chatting with shop owners and sampling every crocché and babà I encountered.

2. I dolci

Never go to Naples on a diet. You must all the sweets, especially the flaky, ricotta-filled sfogliatella riccia and the delicately drunken babà. A few of the most famous bakeries for sfogliatella include Scaturchio, La Sfogliatella Mary, and Pintauro.

3. More dolci

I was treated to a rare, behind-the-scenes peek at the kitchens of the historic Scaturchio bakery, bustling in full pre-holiday production.

4. The Toledo Metro Station

Naples’ Art Metro project has transformed 13 underground stations into works of art through collaborations with contemporary artists and architects. I was in absolute awe of the Toledo station, which was rightfully named one of The Daily Telegraph’s most impressive undergrounds in Europe.

5. The Pizza

If you want to see a group of fired-up Neapolitans explode into argument, just ask where to find the best pizza in town. The following pizzerias are all worth visiting, and are long-standing favorites of both tourists and locals alike: Sorbillo, Di Matteo, da Michele.