Pompei, Herculaneum and Paestum: The enduring authority of the past

Ancient civilisations still illuminate what a piece of work man truly is.

A week ago, I had an epiphany. With my wife and some friends, we visited Naples – a city of chaotic madness and effervescent energy – where life is a frenzied ballet of death-defying driving interrupted by culinary whirlwinds (as the late Anthony Bourdain described its food in Kitchen Confidential), a colourful blend of passion, chaos and order. But my …