Paestum was a major Greek city on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea, named Poseidonia (c. 625 BC) – later conquered by the Romans who gave Paestum its current name.
Much the most celebrated features of the site today are the three large temples in the Archaic version of the Greek Doric order, dating from about 550 to 450 BC. All are typical of the period, with massive colonnades having a very pronounced entasis (widening as they go down), and very wide capitals resembling upturned mushrooms. Above the columns, only the second Temple of Hera retains most of its entablature, the other two having only the architrave in place. (Wikipedia)
They were dedicated to Hera, Athena and Poseidon or in Roman times: Juno, Minerva and Neptune. They were built between 550 BC to 400 BC.
The whole ancient city of Paestum covers an area of approximately 120 hectares. It is only the 25 hectares that contain the three main temples and the other main buildings that have been excavated. The other 95 hectares remain on private land and have not been excavated. The city is surrounded by defensive walls that still stand. (Wikipedia)
While walking around the Forum and Amphitheater it suddenly started to rain cats and dogs – it was quite the storm. Seeking shelter next to a wall a nice British couple took me under their umbrella. The heavy rains and windstorm lasted for almost half an hour and was quite the spectacle. After being soaked within seconds I only tried to keep my camera dry and safe.
Even dripping wet I continued my walk through the area when the rain had stopped. At least it was empty then.
Find out more about the temples on the website of Parco Paestum. I had planned to go to one of the amazing beaches afterwards but decided to go back to Agropoli and get some dry clothes. But I came back to one of the beaches a few days later…. Lido delle Sirene.
