Paestum
October 23
The ancient Greek city of Paestum is a must for its ancient temples and it’s easy to get to. We took an early train which dropped us off an easy 15-minute walk from the entrance. It took little over an hour to get there.

This is a view of the amphitheater even before getting into the park.
We weren’t alone but the park wasn’t crowded. First up was the so-called Temple of Ceres which was later found to be the Temple of Athena.



It dates from the 6th century BC and is composed of Doric and Ionic columns on a mound. It faces the rising sun.
Next was Heroon, the “tomb of mystery”

It looked like a tomb but it was uncharacteristically placed within the town. Also there were no bodies found inside, only some nice vases.
The site was spread out and traces of the later Roman settlement were a pleasure to seel.
(See a reel of Roman Paestum here)
Next up was the Temple of Neptune dating from 460 BC.


The Romans changed a lot when they arrived but left the temples alone. No need to aggravate Zeus, Hera & Co any more than necessary.
Perhaps the most impressive was the Temple of Hera, the oldest Greek temple on earth, dating from 550 BC.



The silence and beautiful landscaping of the park made it easy to conjure up the days when the pantheon of eccentric Greek gods ruled the region.
After visiting the park we stepped inside the museum which displayed artifacts, vases, votives and statues. The most precious find is the tomb of the diver. These frescoes are the only ancient Greek tomb frescoes ever found and date from 480 BC. The Greeks believed that death was nothing more than a dive into the unknown.



After the visit we hurried to catch the last train out but got completely lost, walked about 5km in the wrong direction, missed the train and dragged ourselves back to Naples several hours later.
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