Going to Rome is like taking part in a living history lesson. Wherever you go, there are layers of evidence beneath your feet, or crumbling remains of former glory around every corner to remind you that here was a powerful civilized world when the rest of us were no more than tribal groups living in wooden huts.

For a sense of how it was to live in ancient Roman times, the best places are the remains of actual towns. Pompeii and Herculaneum spring to mind. But you can forget these sprawling acres of walls and streets besieged by tourists. Ostia Antica is where it really comes to life, where the town plan clearly shows a living, breathing community, well organized and prosperous.