If there’s one thing we’ve learnt over the past week, it’s how passionate Neapolitans are about their home. In our last edition, we featured member suggestions on destinations to skip, and needless to say, our readers from Naples were not happy to see their city’s name up there.

Here at JFC, we like to be realistic. We don’t expect everywhere we visit to be pristine and perfect, and neither would we want it to be. After all, who doesn’t love a bit of gritty, real life?

That said, Naples offers both beauty and reality, so this time round, we’re shining a light on the things we love about it.

When they head to Naples, most tourists stay in the lower part of the city, around Piazza del Plebiscito, via Chiaia and the Quartieri Spagnoli area. Even though it’s pretty, it’s also incredibly busy and chaotic—that’s where you’re likely to get annoyed in Naples.

The historic centre of the city, around Spaccanapoli (a long, thin street that literally 'splits Naples'), is where you can really breathe in the soul of the city. You’ll be completely captivated by the maze of alleyways, beautiful piazzas and imposing churches.

The Lungomare promenade at Mergellina is another spot that will change your view on Naples, where you’ll realise why it is so magical. The city can be messy and fast, but locals still manage to live in such a slow way here, with Mt Vesuvius providing a spectacular backdrop for a sunset stroll.

Sam Youkilis’ posts capture the essence of Naples really well. Most tourists don't realise until they arrive there that it has such a unique atmosphere compared to the rest of Italy, and that’s exactly why Flight Finder Fran loves it. Naturally, she wanted to share her favourite spots with you, but just try to avoid descending on those hidden pizza spots all at once, would you? Other people might catch wind.

“Santa Chiara Monastery is so colourful and impressive, with stunning 17th century frescoes. Walking around the cloister garden feels like the epitome of southern Italy, surrounded by beautiful tile work and citrus trees.

The Doll Hospital, on the other hand, is more curious—but maybe not one for anyone who still has Chucky flashbacks. The idea is for kids (and big kids) to bring their favourite toys along for repairs, so they can get a new lease of life. Plastic body parts and tiny clothes hang all over the workshop, where you can watch the artisans hard at work on tiny, inanimate patients.

As well as toys being brought to life, Naples is known for producing most of the Christmas nativity ornaments in Italy. Via dei Presepi is where you’ll find all the manufacturers. The whole street is lined with tiny statues, including some less traditional nativity stars, like politicians and pizza makers.

And talking of pizza… wow! Naples knows what it’s doing. You may find Neapolitan pizza soggy, that’s fair—but that’s the way it is. You shouldn’t expect a NY slice in Naples. We Italians simply love the huge amounts of tomato sauce and mozzarella that make our slices flop.

There are loads of great pizza places in the city: Gino and Toto Sorbillo (careful, at the second restaurant near Piazza del Plebiscito, you’ll find the fried version, not the original one!), 50 Kalò, Antica Pizzeria di Matteo…

But my personal favourite is very hidden: Pizzeria Napoli in Bocca. They only serve Margherita and Marinara, though, because only those are the “real ones”, they say. 7 euros will you get a huge, tasty pizza and a drink—you can’t beat that, really!”

It’s also worth giving Naples a shout-out as an excellent base for trips to Pompeii and Sorrento. Hopping on the Circumvesuviana Railway is a cheap alternative to an organised tour, and you’ll be up a volcano or sipping Limoncello by the bay in no time. Or for a spot of island life, Capri is only a 45-minute ferry ride away.

So you see, readers, one JFC member’s “skip this” can very easily be another member’s “see that”. At least there’s one thing everyone can agree on when it comes to Naples—once you’ve tried a slice, you’ll never look back.

What else would you like us to cover in The Detour? Let us know!

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Typically, this is the time of year when many of us take advantage of public holidays to get away for a few days without taking so much leave. It’s also the point when we all want to lock in our summer trips before fares begin to skyrocket. But this year, things are a little different, because flights already seem so darn expensive.

There are a few reasons for that. The familiar nemesis we’ve all been facing, inflation, is pushing up operating costs, and jet fuel prices have been particularly unstable over the last year. Add to that the ongoing staff and aircraft shortages, and you’ve got the perfect storm.

Then there’s the icing on the cake—the pandemic bailouts and loans that many airlines are still repaying. So far, of the major international airlines, only Lufthansa Group and Air France/KLM have reported full repayment of their (pretty hefty) loans.

Several UK-based airlines (BA, Virgin Atlantic, easyJet) agreed five-year packages, meaning they’ll likely not be rid of their debts until 2026. Meanwhile, US airlines are dealing with even larger numbers than their European counterparts, with bailouts coming to around $54bn between them. And that’s before you take into account additional private loans.

While pandemic funding could be hanging over our cheap airfares for another year or two, there is a shining light.

With China’s recent reopening, airlines are clamouring to get passenger numbers up again on those routes. On top of that, notoriously cheap Chinese airlines are back on the scene, bringing with them some of the best fares we’ve spotted to Australia and New Zealand since pre-Covid.

Basically, you might want to dust off your hiking boots and plan for the Great Wall instead of a cheeky weekend in Barça this year!

When asking our US-based teammates for their top Maryland recommendations, one thing kept popping up: crabs (the edible kind). Summer by the Chesapeake Bay comes with the distinct aroma of steamed seafood—the favoured cooking method among Marylanders in particular. Hard shell or soft shell, they don’t discriminate, but one thing is for sure: you better season it with Old Bay.

With the largest estuary in the United States, of course come charming waterfront towns and a penchant for the ocean. As well as being Maryland’s capital, Annapolis is America’s Sailing Capital, with weekly Wednesday Night Sailboat Races throughout summer and an annual Sailboat Show come October.

Maryland’s largest city, Baltimore, is wholly underrated, and has more to offer than just memories of a certain 20-year-old (?!) TV show. First up, baseball fan or not, Oriole Park at Camden Yards is pretty special as ballparks go. It’s right next to downtown Baltimore and the city’s Inner Harbour, museums and aquarium, and unsurprisingly, the vast majority of the snacks served there feature—you guessed it—crab.

In a nice throwback to last week’s mention of Edgar Allan Poe’s Rhode Island haunts, a trip to Baltimore will instead take you to, well, where he haunts now. If the site of his death and his (complicated) grave leave you wanting more, his former home has been turned into a >museum telling the story of his life.

However, Poe mega fans should hold off on visiting until early October, when Poe Fest International takes place. Expect murder mysteries, a gothic ball, spooky live performances and exhibits on Poe’s death, to name but a few. Admission is free, which seems pretty fair since it may well cost you your sanity.

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across the web this week.

• We may not be buying tickets to Mars any time soon, but the edge of space could soon be a reality. Trips in a stratospheric balloon able to carry us over 82,000 ft above the earth are expected to be available to commercial travellers by late 2024
• Last week, we were kicking ourselves for failing to snap up a business class error fare to Indonesia that was on sale via All Nippon Airways’ Vietnamese site. This week, it seems ANA are the ones kicking themselves, so much so that they’ve decided to cancel and refund all the bargain bookings.
• One last reminder that Hong Kong’s free air ticket giveaway will be live from early May. The airport website doesn’t give a specific date, but you can register with Cathay Pacific to get a reminder when it launches.
• And finally, ever arrived at an Airbnb only to find it’s not what you imagined? When a couple visiting Seoul discovered that their accommodation was nowhere near the city centre, but they were unable to cancel the booking, they opted to take revenge on their host.

  £1,260 of gas and water bills later, we think it’s safe to say that the listing description might be getting edited.