Michael Pennington on perfect spots for time wasting The oldest and grandest café in Naples was Oscar Wilde's favourite. Neapolitans take pride in small things and their coffee ritual is no exception. Watch the elite baristas create the perfect espresso: tiny white cups rattle in trays of boiling water and the sugar always goes in first. Piazza Trieste e Trento, Naples, Italy The Sage, Newcastle There are beautiful views from the main foyer of the glass, bulb-shaped Sage concert hall: the marvellous Baltic Gallery and the six Tyne bridges seeming to slide into the river. Watch the Millennium Bridge tilting like a great winking eye to let ships through: it's mesmerising. thesagegateshead.org The London Review Cake Shop, London A large communal table implies spontaneous intellectual arguments with strangers, and there's no pressure to buy. The food in the café is as comforting as the bookshop is brainy. I recommend whiling away an hour with a slice of their orange marmalade sponge and your pick from the infinite selection of teas. lrbshop.co.uk/cakeshop Michael appears in "Dances of Death" at the Gate Theatre, London until July 6. gatetheatre.co.uk Michael was talking to Sarah Royce-Greensill