Pizza Is the Answer

I forgot the question.

In my travels I have learned there is one thing that just about everybody on earth can agree upon.

Pizza.

Don’t misunderstand. I love trying a variety of local dishes wherever I go — although a few things are off-limits to me as a vegetarian (not vegan) who eats fish and dairy foods.

But that’s what makes pizza so great. Especially in Europe, where it’s customary to serve one-person pizzas instead of cutting up a large one into triangular slices for American-style sharing.

Pizza allows me to enjoy dining out with my fussy family of proud carnivores who say they’d rather go hungry than subsist on seafood and veggies. Everyone gets what they want. Yes, the meat-lovers laugh at my fried egg and sour cream toppings.

Before we sing the praises of pizza around the world, a tease ahead to the travel news this month:

• Double trouble at EU borders.

• Secrets of the First Lady’s hometown in Slovenia.

• A Cheap Date Night at Disneyland

• No Reservations at Yosemite?

• Can You Really Swim in the Seine River?

But first…

A Slice of Pizza History

Pizza originated in Italy as filling food for the working-class people of Naples. Created to honor a queen, the Pizza Margherita is the most classic form — red tomatoes, white mozzarella cheese and green basil representing the colors of the Italian flag.

This might be the best pizza I ever had — but it wasn’t in Naples. It was in Padua, where the man operating the wood-fired pizza oven across the street from the Basilica of Saint Anthony was a master of his craft. Read more about Padua here.

Pizza Around the World

According to Grok, some form of pizza exists in nearly every country. Its global spread stems from Italian migration, globalization, and fast-food chains like Domino’s and Pizza Hut, which operate in over 100 countries.

Only remote or isolated nations like North Korea or small Pacific islands may have limited or no access to pizza. Local adaptations vary widely—think kimchi pizza in South Korea or tandoori chicken pizza in India. I’ve even had tuna pizza in Maldives and a delicious veggie pizza in Vietnam.

One of my favorite hidden gems in Ljubljana, Slovenia is Parma, where a conveyor belt machine has been pumping out the Yugoslavian version of pizza since the early 1970s — washed down with a traditional glass of blueberry juice.

Pizza as Comfort Food

My husband craves pizza no matter where we are. Upon arrival in France the night before embarking on a Viking River Cruise, he insisted on bypassing every cute French bistrot for a pizza place. It was served with a spicy oil that was so good we bought some at the nearby supermarket to take home.

No pizza was available during the weeklong cruise, so guess where we went for our first meal after getting off the boat? Hey Siri, where’s a pizza place near the Lyon Airport? This did not surprise me. We’ve been sharing pizza since our first deep-dish date nights in Chicago.

True pizza snobs will only accept the version that comes out of a wood-fired oven like this one in Trieste. Taking it a step further, I have a foodie friend who avoids ordering pizza outside of Naples, sticking to the specialties of whatever Italian region she is visiting.

Where have you had your most memorable pizza? Let me know in the comments. Extra points if you include a picture that I can share in next month’s newsletter. Now for some travel news.

Double Trouble at EU Borders

We can thank Europe for giving us pizza, but the EU isn’t great when it comes to lauanching its new EES border control system. New requirements to collect biometric data from Americans and other non-EU travelers have led to long lines and missed flights at some airports.

The latest problem is that the system gets confused by people with identical twins. Airlines are begging for the program to be suspended until the kinks are worked out. Meantime, allow plenty of time to clear immigration if you have to change planes after arriving in any busy European hub.

Secrets of the First Lady’s Home Town

I recently made a return trip to Sevnica, the town in Slovenia where US First Lady Melania Trump grew up. Turns out there’s another reason to visit: sexy underwear.

Sevnica is also the home of the worldwide lingerie brand, Lisca. You can buy the popular vacation and swimwear at a discount factory outlet. There’s also a rare First Lady wine that was bottled at local vineyards. Get the story in my new video:

Cheap Date at Disneyland

A $59 evening pass to Disney’s parks in Southern California quickly sold out. That’s about half the regular price of admission.

Disneyland is not my thing, but I’m always on the lookout for ways to save on popular destinations. The five-hour ticket deal prompted some speculation in the Los Angeles Times that theme park travel may be in a recession. Or it may simply be priced out of reach. Disney has not announced if it will offer the deal again.

No reservations at Yosemite?

The National Park Service has mostly scrapped its controversial reservation system at Yosemite for 2026.

The result is being described as more like a crowded shopping mall than a nature experience. Here’s the coverage on Good Morning America. The park service recommends visiting during off-peak times to avoid the chaos.

Paris: Can You Swim in the Seine?

The tourism agency in Paris is promoting 11 public swimming areas along the Seine River. Officials monitor the water quality and post flags to indicate whether it’s safe to take the plunge at one of the FREE access points.

The Seine was cleaned up for the 2024 Olympics, but it wasn’t enough to prevent some athletes from getting sick. With Europe experiencing heat waves this summer, it might be tempting for some travelers, but I think I’ll just watch from a nearby cafe with a cold drink.

A whitewater rafting trip on the pristine Soča River in Slovenia is much more my style.

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