We are just home from Melrose (April 2024) where there is an excellent small museum displaying artefacts recovered from the site of the Roman Fort called Trimontium.

The museum is run by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable team of volunteers, most of who are active amateur archeologists.

If you visit, you should take a few minutes to watch their excellent video presentation.

This was our third or fourth visit and it sparked an idea for this story.

The tale concludes on slopes of Lago Trasimeno, a place with fond memories of a stay in an ‘agriturismo’, self catering accommodation in a converted farm steading. All those years ago (late 1990s), I convinced myself Lago Trasimeno is located at the exact centre of Italy.

I hope my historical context is entirely correct.

I also suggest this story is suitable for children aged about ten and above.