The mere idea of Italy often sparks thoughts of classical antiquity – Pompeii and Herculaneum, the Colosseum, or Hadrian’s Villa. In 1976, our family travelled to Ostia Lido, just up the road from Ostia Antica, the latter considered to rival Pompeii on account of the preservation of its buildings, frescoes and mosaics.

But this was a sun holiday, and the question of ruins, even those of this once significant city at the mouth of the Tiber, were far from our thoughts as my parents, my aunt and I entered through the heavy door of a beautiful old apartment in the heart of modern Ostia. Being Irish, we were in search of heat, light, and slow days on the nearby yellow sand beach.