Parco Archeologico di Paestum

The story

Founded by the Greeks of Sybaris around the sixth century BC under the name Poseidonia, the city on the Cilento coast passed later to the Lucanians and finally to Rome, which called it Paestum. Abandoned in the Middle Ages because of malaria and marshes, it stayed hidden in the scrub until, in the eighteenth century, the Bourbon road brought its temples back to light: from then on they became a stop on the Grand Tour and one of the best-preserved symbols of Doric architecture in the world.

What to see

The three great Doric temples in golden limestone are the reason to come: the so-called Temple of Neptune, almost intact, with the colonnade that still holds up its entablature; the Basilica, the oldest; and the Temple of Athena. Around them remain the streets, the forum and the amphitheatre of the ancient city. In the museum, opposite the park, the Tomb of the Diver: a dive painted two thousand five hundred years ago, the only example of Greek figurative painting of that period to have come down to us.

Tips

Come early in the morning or in the late afternoon: the raking light sets the stone aglow and dodges the summer heat. Reckon on two or three hours for park and museum together. Comfortable shoes, the area is vast and unpaved. And around here you eat the artichokes of Paestum and the buffalo mozzarella of the Sele: it is worth combining a stop.

Frequently asked questions