Vesuvius

The endless fascination of volcanoes

11 May 2024 9:00 am

Tamsin Mather is the latest highly articulate volcanologist to combine vivid personal experience with thoughtful scientific explanation

Naples will never escape the shadow of Vesuvius

9 July 2022 9:00 am

Naples, the tatterdemalion capital of the Italian south, is said to be awash with heroin. Chinese-run morphine refineries on its…

How did the ancients cope in a crisis?

11 April 2020 9:00 am

When a major crisis strikes in the modern world, the state and international bodies such as the IMF and World…

Why has British art had such a fascination with fire?

15 June 2019 9:00 am

‘Playing God is indeed playing with fire,’ observed Ronald Dworkin. ‘But that is what we mortals have done since Prometheus,…

Wall painting of a female head, Pompeii, 1st century AD

Pompeii’s greatest gifts are not all archeological

12 April 2014 9:00 am

The first visitor to take a break on the Bay of Naples was Hercules. He had just defeated some rebellious…