OUR 5 FAVOURITE PIZZA PLACES FROM OUR TRAVELS

Pizza: a masterpiece you can eat at any hour, make with almost any ingredient and find on nearly every kind of restaurant menu. It has rescued us whenever we could not decide what to eat while travelling. Here are our personal top five—in no particular order. If you have a secret pizza place of your own, please share it with us.

NAPLES — PIZZERIA DI MATTEO

According to some people, Di Matteo makes not only Naples' best pizza but some of the best in the world. The pizzeria has been serving Neapolitan pizza on Via dei Tribunali since 1936. If you see a long queue outside a small shop on the street, you are probably in the right place. We chose Caprese and Quattro Formaggi. The prices we paid on our original visit are now historical, so check the current menu before ordering. If you are not extremely hungry, one pizza may be enough for two—but when you have come this far, we would not stop at one.

SANT'AGNELLO — IL BUON BOCCONE

Sant'Agnello is a small town on the Amalfi Coast. Right on the central square is Il Buon Boccone (Corso Italia 51), an unpretentious family business. We ate lunch and dinner there and even had Nutella pizza for breakfast. Current listings still show it operating, but opening hours can change, so check before making a special journey. The photograph shows the classic pizza box used by pizzerias all over Italy—doesn't it look like a painting?

A photo posted by Kokla Dünyayı (@kokladunyayi) on 10 October 2015 at 5:32 pm PDT

BOSTON — REGINA PIZZERIA

People joke that America makes better pizza than Italy, though many of America's finest pizzerias were founded by Italian immigrants. When you visit Boston, head to the original Regina Pizzeria in the North End, which has been serving pizza since 1926. Order a cold pitcher of beer and a pizza, and think of us. Note that some later branches have closed; the historic North End restaurant remains the one to seek out.

Photo credit: The Boston Globe

NICE — LA PIZZA CRESCI

Pizza is often our budget-friendly, filling favourite while travelling. This one was not particularly cheap, but the flavour made it impossible to leave off the list. It gave us one of the best pizzas of our trip to Nice—and perhaps one of the best of our lives. La Pizza Cresci at34 Rue Masséna was an unforgettable feast. I can still remember how the cheese flowed when the pizza first arrived. The restaurant is still listed at the same address; consult its current menu for prices.

İZMİR — PIZZERIA LUNA ROMANA

After all that travelling, should we not find one of our favourite pizzas close to home? On the ground floor of an unlikely-looking building in Urla, a modest shop serves some of İzmir's best pizza (behind Urla Meydan shopping centre, Nazar İş Merkezi, Urla). Earlier in the day you may be able to buy slices from a tray; later, order a whole pizza from the menu. Wine and beer are available, along with cola and Turkey's beloved ayran. Visit and see whether you agree with us. Current local tourism listings still include the restaurant, but check opening hours before travelling.