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• Naples food guide: Where to find the best local dishes
• Meet the men who are crucified on Good Friday
• World's most luxurious trip? Round-the-world on a private Boeing 757

Naples food guide: Where to find the best local dishes Posted: 29 Mar 2013 11:01 PM PDT We know – the only place to eat Neapolitan food is at your Neapolitan mother's house. But let's say you don't have a Neapolitan mother. Let's say you have no Neapolitan relatives and no Neapolitan friends. Let's say you're just a hungry stranger in a strange land and you want the next best thing to m'm'te's home cooking.  Try this roundup of Naples places to eat Neapolitan food a local mom would approve. Pizza What? You didn't know pizza was invented in Naples? Here's a crash course. Arabic-inspired flatbreads had long been made in Naples, but chefs at Pizzeria Brandi felt that Queen Margherita's visit in 1889 called for something special: pizza dough topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella di bufala and basil. When the royal court expressed enthusiastic approval of the new pizza recipe, it became thereafter known as pizza margherita. Many Italians judge a pizzeria based on its pizza margherita, but if you want something different, there's the classic pizza alla napoletana, with anchovies, olives, pickles, capers and oregano. Other Neapolitan pizzeria dishes include the ever-popular calzoni and panzerotti: deep-fried mozzarella pockets.  The birthplace of pizza margherita calls for a slice with cheesy tomatoes on stone-oven baked crust. L'Antica Pizzeria Brandi Feeding Neapolitans since 1780, Pizzeria Brandi is the birthplace of pizza margherita. In other words, your first obligatory stop. Salita Sant'Anna di Palazzo, 1-2; +39 08 1416 928; www.brandi.it Di Matteo Beloved by locals for its reasonable prices, great pizzas and delicious fried antipasti. Via dei Tribunali, 94; +39 08 2455 262 Antica Pizzeria I Decumani Small, surprisingly inexpensive and excellent. More than 40 kinds of pizza. Via Tribunali 58, 60, 61; +39 08 1557 1309 Da Michele Made famous -- and insufferably touristed, according to locals -- by its cameo in "Eat Pray Love." Crowd favorite: pizza margherita with double cheese. Via Cesare Sersale 1; +39 08 1553 9204; www.damichele.net/ Pasta Classic Neapolitan pasta dishes include seafood -- spaghetti alle vongole and risotto alla pescatora are typical. Other famous local pasta recipes include pasta e patate (pasta and potato soup), timballo (pasta pie), gnocchi alla sorrentina (potato dumplings baked in tomato sauce and mozzarella) and pasta e fagioli. Pastae fagioli (pasta and bean soup) is a classic dish found in mamma's kitchen throughout the boot, but the Neapolitan version -- called pasta fazool -- is made with hot pepper and crushed mixed pasta. A variant of spaghetti alla puttanesca -- "whore-style spaghetti" -- is also found in Naples. The Neapolitan version calls for tomatoes, garlic, parsley, hot pepper, capers and olives. Debate persists about where this seemingly innocent pasta dish got its scandalous name. Intimate and homey, a meal at Cantina Del Gallo is like sitting down for a family dinner. La Cantina del Gallo Renowned for pizza, La Cantina del Gallo -- an institution in the Rione Sanità district since 1898 -- is a place to find home-style Neapolitan pastas. Via Alessandro Telesino, 21; +39 08 1544 1521; www.cantinadelgallo.com Trattoria Nennella A Spanish quarter gem, Trattoria Nennella serves no-frills, basic Neapolitan food with bowls of fruit for dessert. Pasta dishes get top billing. Via Lungo Teatro Nuovo, 103; +39 08 1414 338 Trattoria da Vittorio Locals swear eating at this small, super traditional Neapolitan trattoria is just like eating at home. Specialties include meatballs, pasta e fagioli and fried cod. Via Diocleziano, 67; +39 08 1762 6129 Bring an empty stomach to this family restaurant. Umberto Ristorante Friendly atmosphere, professional service and strict attention to quality. Recommended: Nonna Ermelinda's meatballs, the Neapolitan-style codfish, risotto alla pescatora and zuppa di pesce (fresh fish stew). Via Alabardieri, 30/31; +39 08 1418 555; www.umberto.it Pastries  Italians from any region will tell you, there's nothing in the world like Neapolitan pastry. The pastries most synonymous with Naples are the intricate shell-shaped sfogliatelle -- made of dozens of layers of delicate pastry -- and the rum-soaked babà, a Neapolitan twist on the German cake known as kugelhupf. Pastry-lovers should head immediately to the Galleria Umberto, home to two of Naples's most revered pastry shops. La Sfogliatella Mary Contender Number One in the Galleria Umberto battle: Mary's sfogliatelle is phenomenal. The lemon babà is also a treat. Via Toledo, 66; +39 08 1402 218 Pasticceria Pintauro Enter Contender Number Two. Not technically inside Galleria Umberto, Pintauro is mere heartbeats away. Heartbeats of ricotta and rum. Baking pastries since 1785. Via Toledo, 275; +39 08 1417 339; www.pintauro.it It's all good at Scaturchio. Scaturchio Lovely pastry shop with table service and gelato. Piazza San Domenico Maggiore, 19; +39 08 1551 7031; www.scaturchio.it Moccia Famed not only for its pastries, but for its excellent mini-pizzas. Via San Pasquale a Chiaia, 21-22; +39 08 1411 348 Antico Forno delle Sfogliatelle Calde As the bakery's name would suggest, sfogliatelle is the thing to eat here; especially hot out of the oven. Vico Ferrovia 1/2/3/4; +39 08 1285 675; www.sfogliatelleattanasio.it Gran Caffe Gambrinus Whatever you try, the perfect end to any Neapolitan meal is a thimbleful of Limoncello or cup of Neapolitan coffee. Gambrinus is a beautiful coffee shop that attracts an artsy clientele. Highly recommended: caffè alla nocciola. Via Chiaia, 1-2; +39 08 1417 582; www.caffegambrinus.com

Meet the men who are crucified on Good Friday Posted: 29 Mar 2013 03:00 PM PDT On Good Friday in the Philippines, men will whip their backs until they're bloody and allow themselves to be crucified. It's a decades-old practice that takes place predominantly in Pampanga province by devout Catholics as a penance or to give thanks to God. I went there to meet the people who take part in this intense experience. Rolando Ocampo, 56, has been crucified every year since 1990 as a sign of his gratitude to God. He says God miraculously saved his wife from a difficult child birth in that year. Ocampo prepares for his crucifixion for days in advance. He spends time alone and engages in deep meditation before the day on which he will share in Christ's suffering. The event is a busy and chaotic affair. In the heat, smells of dust, sweat and blood mix uncomfortably. It all ends at 3 p.m., the time Jesus Christ is believed to have died on the cross. Ruben Enage, 53, has been crucified 24 times since he survived a near-fatal fall from a three-story advertising billboard in 1986. Here, he rests after falling during the annual Cenaculo on the passion of Jesus Christ. Though nails are sanitized and medical personnel are on hand to tend to the participants after their ordeal, there are concerns about the risk of infection. Nevertheless, dozens of men and some women take part in this annual event. Participants often pray during their ordeal, which they say helps them overcome the pain. After a few minutes, they're lowered again and given medical treatment. The wounds can take two weeks to heal, but the penitents consider the suffering a small price to give thanks to God. Many also flagellate themselves while walking barefoot on baking hot roads in processions lasting hours, in another demonstration of connection to Jesus Christ. After several hours of whipping his own back, and now bloodied and scarred, a man stops to pray. Some have described the act of self-flagellation and crucifixion as crazy. But I learned that local beliefs are strongly anchored in personal relationships with God. No amount of persuasion can break the resolve. Ocampo says that after his crucifixion, "Life goes on." Getting there From Ninoy Aquino International Airport, head to the Araneta-Cubao bus terminal in Quezon City. Take any bus heading to San Fernando-Dau junction (PHP 100 per person (US$2.30). San Fernando City, Pampanga is 75 kilometers north of the capital Manila through the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX). At the San Fernando junction, take a jeepney to the poblacion (PHP 8 (US$0.20), then take a pedicab or foot-pedaled tricycle to San Pedro Cutud. Drivers will haggle for a fare, but one should not pay more than PHP20 (US$0.47) per person. Story originally published April 2011. Updated April 5, 2012 and again March 2013.

World's most luxurious trip? Round-the-world on a private Boeing 757 Posted: 28 Mar 2013 04:20 AM PDT Partnering with private jet travel operator TCS & Starquest expedition, luxury hotel brand Four Seasons will swaddle travelers in ultra-luxury with a pair of enviable tours in 2014. Two groups of 56 travelers, paying at least US$62,950 each, will embark on one of two private jet tours –- Rediscover the Americas and Around the World –- together with a private chef, physician, dedicated air crew, expedition managers and luggage handlers. It's another world onboard. Normally seating more than 200 passengers, the trip's Boeing 757 has been revamped for 56 passengers in a two-by-two plush seating arrangement. Global WiFi and a Four Seasons concierge desk will be available in-flight. The Rediscover the Americas tour includes seven destinations in the Americas geared toward beach and nature lovers. Itinerary activities include catamaran sailing to a protected beach in Nevis, visiting high-end shops with fashion designers and viewing the private art collection at Fortabat in Buenos Aires before it opens to the public. The Around the World tour repeats similar tours offered in 2012 and 2013. No overnight flights mean tour members will stay at Four Seasons resorts like this one in Bora Bora. The cultural journey takes off from Los Angeles for eight destinations (mostly in Asia Pacific) before ending in London. The package includes a helicopter ride over Hawaii's Kona-Kohala Coast and a visit to peak-roofed ancient temples in Thailand. Travelers can take various classes along the way –- surf lessons at Bondi Beach, Sydney, batik painting class in Bali and Thai cooking class in Chang Mai. Cost of the tours includes accommodation at Four Seasons hotels and resorts, flights, transportation on ground, excursions and luxury meals in unique settings accompanied by traditional entertainment, according to Four Seasons. Rediscover the Americas itinerary includes Miami, Nevis, Buenos Aires, Carmelo in Uruguay, Peninsula Papagayo in Costa Rica, Punta Mita in Mexico and Los Angeles, February 24-March 13, 2014 (18 days); US$62,950 per peson (with an additional fee of $7,650 for single supplement). Around the World itinerary includes Los Angeles, Kona in Hawaii, Bora Bora in French Polynesia, Sydney, Bali, Chiang Mai or Chang Rai in Thailand, the Taj Mahal and Mumbai in India, Istanbul and London, March 14-April 5, 2014 (23 days); US$87,950 (plus $8,950 for single supplement). For more information and to book, visit the Four Seasons website.

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