George peering over the edge of a table to see his second birthday cake and a bottle of Prosecco

Terrible twos: remembrance of things past

I probably shouldn't have been celebrating with Prosecco, but last week I turned two. Before then, though, since my fabulous first second (second first?) birthday on 26th March last year, I had discovered that my first first birthday was pretty fantastic, too. Mariacristina and I were staying at my father's with my sister Harriet, her husband Duncan and … Continue reading Terrible twos: remembrance of things past

The lower part of the Rione Terra

Seismic shifts in Pozzuoli – and life

If any place could symbolise how forces beyond your control can sweep into your life, bringing destruction, change but also surprising new opportunities and hope for the future, Pozzuoli's Rione Terra, in the heart of Campania's Campi Flegrei (Phlegrean Fields), is that place. The volcanic area of the Campi Flegrei is drenched in fascinating myth, history and geological phenomena. It's where … Continue reading Seismic shifts in Pozzuoli – and life