Greek temple complex along the Roman coast - Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park with the Archeological Sites of Paestum and Velia, and the Certosa di Padula 842
What and Why
Along the Tyrrhenian coast of South Italy (Italian: Italia), Paestum used to be a major city on the coast of Magna Graecia (Greek: Μεγάλη Ἑλλάς, Megálē Hellás). The ruins of Paestum are famous for their three Greek temples worshipping Hera (Greek: Ήρα), Athena (Greek: Αθηνά) and Poseidon (Greek: Ποσειδῶν). The temple complex dates from about 600 to 450 BCE, but are still in a very good state of preservation, possibly one of the best in the world. At one point it was called Poseidonia (Greek: Ποσειδωνία) and hence its present name.
As you can see from the picture above the temples are in extremely good condition and it reflects closely that of ancient acropolis of Athens (Αθήνα, Athína). In fact many archaeologists value these temples as better preserved than those in Greece. Many even said that this is the best artefacts on the planet that had stood for 2,500 years!
One question is why a Greek city in the middle of Italy? It turns out that the Ancient Greeks had very different approach to colonisation against its peers. Others probably used armies and politics to claim new land, whereas the Greeks, on the other hand, were relatively happy to just the rule the city-states they already had and form relationships with other ones in the region. They saw the expansion of their empire not in terms of land, but in terms of wealth and knowledge. In this case, the Greek moved to the centre of Mediterranean in search of new trade and economic activities and established this particular city-state.
Toponymy
'Paestum' is the latinised form of 'Poseidonia'.
See
The plan of Paestum.
First Temple of Hera (Primo Tempio di Hera)
Both temples of Hera are of age since 550 BCE and resembles closely those Doric structures in ancient Greece. The first temple is the oldest of the three temples and was probably built around 550 BCE and was of course dedicated to Hera and Zeus (Greek: Ζεύς) with conspicuous altars for these Greek gods. The architecture is actually a bit unusual because it is wider than normal and has a different amount of columns than you would normally find in Greek temples from this period.
Second Temple of Hera (Tempio di Nettuno)
The Second Temple of Hera (Tempio di Nettuno) is sometimes named the Temple of Neptune but is a misnomer from the 18th century CE, even though it was actually dedicated to the goddess Hera. This is a temple you can enter into the interior and take various photographs of the interior architecture.
Temple of Athena (Tempio di Atena)
Further off the site up a small mountain, there is the Temple of Athena (Tempio di Atena). This temple is younger by 50 years. This temple is special as it still carries a high pediment on the façade and a Doric frieze, adorned with metopes, standing on top of thicker Doric columns. The architecture is described by experts as ‘transitional’, meaning it shows influences of both the Ionic and early Doric styles.
Roman Forum (Foro Romano)
Between the two large temples, the ruins of the old Roman city is quite apparent, where it looks a bit like Pompei.
National Paestum Archaeological Museum (Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Paestum)
Many of the archaeological finds are now placed inside the National Paestum Archaeological Museum (Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Paestum). The museum states that it is not a museum, but a living school and it costs only EUR 8€. There are lots to see in the well-organised museum and is well worth the visit. The most important artefact apparently is a cover of an ancient tomb, featuring a diver tombstone (tomba del tuffatore) built in 470 BCE.
According to the displays, when the tomb was discovered, the slab revealed its importance as they appear to be the 'only example of Greek painting with figured scenes dating from the orientalising, archaic or classical periods to survive in its entirety'. The peculiarity of this slab, is that platform diving was not a sport or even an act during the era, and apparently it is a metaphoric message for life after death or something more supernatural.
Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park (Parco Nazionale del Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni)
We then drove from Paestum all the way across the Cilento and Vallo di Diana National Park (Parco Nazionale del Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni). Honestly not the most interesting of parks except for some lushness.
One of the main features is the mediaeval bridge located in the middle of the national park, but it does not look anything special to be honest.
Padula Charterhouse (Certosa di Padula)
Padula Charterhouse (Certosa di Padula) is a large Carthusian (Latin: Ordo Cartusiensis) monastery, or charterhouse, located in the town of Padula. The Baroque monastery is the largest in Italy. Its building started in the early 14th century CE but the entire construction history covered 450 years. The monastery contains an impressive history museum.
Castelcivita
We also explored one large cave in Castelcivita, roughly translated to the castle of the citizens, which belong to part of the larger national park. The cave is quite a spectacular and colourful limestone formation, and definitely worth a visit.
Eat and Drink
We ate in a family restaurant next to the grotto Casacivitas. During the evening, instead of dining in the usual restaurant, we did a cooking class in Cucina di Classe in Salerno and learnt the authentic way of Italian cooking, especially pounding the dough. Our team made both pasta and a pizza. Not too bad an experience for the girls.
Getting There and Around
Impossible without a car, especially Castelcivitas and other parts of the national park as the park is quite huge. We drove there from Maiori, and it took us an hour. The site in Paestum is quite walkable. The entrance fee to the Paestum complex is 8€. We recommend one half day for the site and another half day for the national park.
The site is also a sister-city with Volubilis (Berber: ⵡⵍⵉⵍⵉ, wlili), in our blog Meknes (ⴰⵎⴽⵏⴰⵙ).
UNESCO Inscription
The Cilento is an outstanding cultural landscape. The dramatic groups of sanctuaries and settlements along its three east–west mountain ridges vividly portray the area's historical evolution: it was a major route not only for trade, but also for cultural and political interaction during the prehistoric and medieval periods. The Cilento was also the boundary between the Greek colonies of Magna Graecia and the indigenous Etruscan and Lucanian peoples. The remains of two major cities from classical times, Paestum and Velia, are found there.
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