The Ruins of Paestum

Italy is very rich in historical and archaeological sites such as in Campania, in Cilento. The sea is not far away, and right here, more than 2500 years ago, men created a pearl of Magna Graecia, an entire city, baptized Poseidonia but known to us by the name of Paestum. Paestum has a very ancient history, to found it in 600 BC. they were Greek colonists, the Achaeans, coming from Sibari, on the coast of Calabria, looking for a port on the Mediterranean Sea to expand their commercial domain. It was with them that the city took the name of Poseidonia, in honor of the god of the sea Poseidon. It was only under the Romans that it took the name of Paestum. Visiting Paestum means taking a leap into the past, immersing yourself completely in ancient history, in the daily habits of its inhabitants, in their culture and tradition. It is a city that still offers evocative images, immense and still intact temples, an almost dormant city capable of awakening only in the imagination of those who will be able to imagine, experience and appreciate it. By participating in a Ruins of Paestum Guided Tour, it will be possible to admire its ruins thanks to the stories of a local tourist guide. An extraordinary history schedule, a journey through the centuries, from the foundation of the Greek city, of which the most enviable and most famous remains in the world are the Doric temples, until its abandonment and subsequently its destruction.

What to see in Paestum

Of Greek and later Roman imprint, Paestum offers visitors a variety of attractions so much so that it has been named a World Heritage Site. Here we list some of them:

• Temple of Neptune, dating back to the 5th century BC it is one of the best preserved temples in the city, 60 meters long and 18 meters high, that is as much as a six-story building, and the most popular with tourists;
• Temple of Hera, dedicated to the wife of Zeus, goddess of life, fertility and birth, the main divinity venerated in Poseidonia;
• Temple of Athena, built in the 6th century BC it is a temple that changed status and function over the centuries until the 7th century AD. it was used as a stable;
• Roman amphitheater, built in 50 BC the amphitheater was intended for gladiator games;
• Tomb of the diver, one of the most important collections of ancient Greek painting finds inside a box tomb that represents the scene;
• Residential districts, exactly 8 blocks dating back to the Roman period of various sizes and belonging to high-ranking families;
• The Forum, the main square and the beating heart of city life;
• The Sanctuary with swimming pool, dedicated to Fortuna Virilis, was used to carry out fertility rites in honor of the Goddess Venus.

Discover the architecture and the magnificence of the buildings and findings of the ancient city of Paestum and its materials, such as travertine, used to erect the three magnificent temples that are still remarkably preserved today.

Things to know about Paestum

The best way to visit the city of Paestum is definitely to take part in the aforementioned tour, a Ruins of Paestum Guided Tour. Immerse yourself in the history of the ancient Greeks, in their traditions, in their cults, dedicated to different divinities, and discover their way of life. Take a leap into history and arrive at the Roman domination, the different but similar building structure of the city, their different way of thinking and acting. The ruins of Paestum tell of a distant past, sometimes difficult to decipher. In this place, the Roman world and the Greek world have merged, overlapped, and of that union today only fragments of stone shrouded in silence remain, evidence of an ancient era that invite you to think and dream.