Summary

The website content discusses Paestum, an underappreciated archaeological site in Italy that offers well-preserved ancient Greek and Roman ruins, including temples and artifacts, and suggests it as a tranquil alternative to the crowded tourist destination of Pompeii.

Abstract

Paestum, located near the Amalfi Coast in Italy, is presented as a hidden gem for travelers seeking a more authentic and peaceful experience of ancient history. Unlike the heavily visited Pompeii, Paestum boasts three Greek temples from around 500BC, along with Roman ruins such as an amphitheater and residential areas, all in a state of good repair. The site is described as a beautiful meadow dotted with Italian stone pines, offering a serene environment to explore ancient architecture and witness wildlife. A highlight is the on-site museum, which houses delicate artifacts like painted tomb walls and a variety of Greek and Roman relics. The author emphasizes the site's uncrowded nature, providing a contrast to the tourist-laden Pompeii, and recommends renting a car for easy access. Additionally, the area around Paestum offers attractions such as water buffalo farms and good restaurants, with the added benefit of more affordable accommodations compared to the Amalfi Coast.

Opinions

The author believes Paestum is a superior choice for those who prefer to avoid crowded tourist spots and seek a more personal connection with history.
Paestum is highly regarded for its tranquility and the opportunity it provides to explore ancient ruins without the distractions of hawkers and tourist tat.
The site's museum is considered fabulous, with well-preserved artifacts that provide a window into ancient Greek and Roman life.
The author suggests that driving to Paestum is both enjoyable and convenient, especially when compared to the challenging roads of the Amalfi Coast.
Staying in Pa

Italy

Ancient Greece Is Alive And Well - In Italy

Skip Pompeii and visit Paestum instead!

The Temple of Hera at Paestum. Author’s photograph

If I know you like I think I do, you don’t like to just follow the herd. You want to discover someplace amazing for yourself. Sure you’re going to the Amalfi Coast, I mean you have to, right? But how about a little side trip to a place a little less well known.

Ancient Greece perhaps?

You’ll like this place. There are many steps and columns. It is most tranquil. But it’s not the Acropolis. In fact, one of the best-preserved ancient Greek sites in the world is not in Greece at all, but in Italy at Paestum, just south of the Amalfi coast near Salerno.

There are actually THREE Greek temples at Paestum, dating back to about 500BC on a large site. The amazing thing is, this isn’t even close to half of the original area that the ancient Paestum covered, it hasn’t all been excavated yet (and may never be).

Although the site is Greek, when the Greeks left the Romans took it over and built on it, so as well as incredible Greek history you can also see ancient roman ruins including the amphitheatre, swimming pool, housing and roads. All are in a pretty good state of repair considering how incredibly old they are.

The site itself is beautiful. In the hot Italian sun, the area is like a huge meadow with typical Italian stone pines dotted around. It’s cool to watch the wildlife, like lizards basking on the millennia-old stones of the buildings, and to wander in and out of the temples, the Roman forum, and the houses. It’s all wide open so you can walk where you choose.

There is a fabulous museum where you can see artifacts discovered on-site including sections of painted tomb walls that were too delicate to remain in situ but which are preserved beautifully, depicting typical Greek scenes. The museum is also a nice cool place to go when the sun is high overhead!

Of course, the museum also houses Greek and Roman pottery, jewelry, art and glassware, as well as statues, mosaics, carvings and coins.

Art and nature at Paestum. Photos by author

The absolute best thing about this site is how few people visit it. Unlike say Pompeii, which is packed with tourists and all the awful hawkers and plastic tat that accompany them, Paestum is peaceful and unspoiled.

When I visited I virtually had the site to myself and rarely saw another visitor.

Your best bet would be to have a car to get there. Now, I already had a car when I visited, but if you’re planning a day trip from somewhere on the Amalfi coast you could just get the ferry to Salerno and rent a car at the ferry port. Easy! There are also some bus tours run from Sorrento.

It’s beautiful driving around here, farmland on one side, the sea on the other and flat as your hat, not a hairpin bend in sight, so not scary at all! I did it the other way round — I stayed at a beach hotel in Paestum, visited the sites there, and then drove into Salerno to get the ferry to Amalfi and Ravello.

Let me tell you you get a lot more for your money in a Paestum hotel than on the Amalfi coast and the beaches are lovely!

If you are in Paestum for a few days, there are some other nice things to do, like a visit to a water buffalo farm where they make both delicious cheese and natural beauty products, and there are some good and well-priced restaurants in Paestum and nearby Laura.

If you’d like to find out more, here’s a couple of useful links— enjoy!

Hotel Schuhmann Paestum holiday by the sea with private beach

Parco Paestum e Velia — Un altro mondo è possibile (beniculturali.it

Tagging some fellow Italy lovers… KL Simmons Adrienne Beaumont The Sober Vegan Yogi Warren Patterson

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