Notes From a Friend of a Friend

Itineraries for Naples, Istanbul, Valle de Guadeloupe, and Kathmandu

Here are the latest stories published on our travel website, Fathom:

• the #1 pizza maker in the U.S. shares his meticulous guide to Naples

• a chic editor gives her top picks in a trendy Istanbul neighborhood

• a friend experiences inclusivity, cultural preservation, and sustainability in Nepal

• in Mexico, three journalists walk into a sweat lodge …

He Makes the Best Pizza the USA. These Are His Top Spots in Naples
Anthony Mangieri has once again been named the #1 pizza maker in the USA, an honor he's held since 2022 (he owns the NYC pizzeria Una Pizza Napoletana). He's so obsessed with quality that he makes every single pizza dough himself. And if he's not in the restaurant, the restaurant isn't open. Anthony returns regularly to Naples, pizza capital of the world. We asked for him to share his favorite spots.

Say Yes to Nisantası, Istanbul's Coolest Neighborhood
Among the best guidebooks we've ever seen is the Monday to Sunday Book series, created by our friends Seda Domaniç and Sinan Sökmen. Seda, a writer and editor based between Istanbul and Athens, was the founding editor-in-chief of Vogue Turkey. In this excerpt, Seda tours the Nişantaşı neighborhood.

A Who's Who of Istanbul's Top Designers
There’s no way to discover Nişantaşı without getting a deep and lasting impression of Turkey’s fashion scene and its many rising talents. Scattered all around the neighborhood are the boutiques, showrooms, and ateliers of the country’s most important designers and brands, those that have successfully managed to extend their influence onto international realms.

Choosing Connection in the Kathmandu Valley
A rising tide lifts all boats in a former lakebed that’s now a capital city surrounded by many smaller, often overlooked communities no less deserving than a Himalayan summit.

Wine, Labyrinths, and Satin Sheets: Four Days in Mexico’s Wine Country
A trip to Valle de Guadalupe, a.k.a. Mexico’s wine country checked the boxes and invented new ones. A 90-minute-ish drive into the Baja Peninsula from San Diego Airport, and the clouds lifted — figuratively and mostly literally — over the next four days.