Royal hideaway in Portici, near Naples
It was a warm day and we were on an old road in a corner of what used to be a royal park. It is now university grounds but still has that swish of palaces, intrigue and celebrity at play.
In front of us a smallish red building curved its face to catch views of Vesuvius and the sea. This, we were told, was where the king entertained his mistresses. Instantly the Italian guide had our attention.
A papyrus scroll – not quite destroyed by Vesuvius
The photograph above is of a papyrus scroll from a private library buried by Vesuvius in AD 79.
There are hundreds of scrolls like it, all scarred keepers of ancient thought. So far it has taken almost two thousand years to unpick a fraction of their secrets.
Library of Naples
Biblioteca Nazionale di Napoli
It’s never a good idea to judge anything by appearances. Here’s an example.
Mid-autumn of last year I was new in Naples. The language was a challenge and I still didn’t know my way around. The city seemed hectic and disheveled.
Then, on a wet Wednesday in November, I was invited on a trip to the Biblioteca Nazionale di Napoli.
The Phraser 