Paestum - Doric Temples of the Magna Grecia:
Location of Paestum:
Paestum - Getting There:
By Train - Paestum is accessible from Naples by train (make sure it stops at Stazione di Paestum. The site is a 15 minute walk from the train station. From the front of the station, walk through the gate in the old city wall and continue until you see the ruins in front of you.
The Magna Grecia:
What Went Wrong?:
Visiting the Paestum Excavations:
Paestum has three of the best preserved doric temples in Italy: the Basilica of Hera, the Temple of Ceres, and, on the southern end of the site, the Temple of Neptune, built in 450 BC, the oldest and best preserved of the Greek temples in Italy.
The ruins are open from 9am to 1 hour before sunset every day (last admission is 2 hours before sunset).
There is a museum on the site. Opening hours are 9am-7pm. The cost of the museum at time of writing was 4.10 Euros, 6 Euros including the site visit. The Museum is closed the first and third Monday of each month.
The site's closing doesn't seem to stop couples wanting to make a baby, according to Sacred Sites:
"Childless couples flock to the temple of Hera to copulate beneath the night sky, in the belief that making love within the shrine of the goddess will call forth her fertilizing influence and thereby insure pregnancy. At Paestum, Hera is not only a goddess of fertility; she is also a goddess of childbirth."
Pictures of Paestum: 5 pictures of the temples are found in our Paestum Slide Show.
Map and Travel Resources for Campania: For a map of the area around Paestum and nearby attractions, see our Campania Map and Travel Resources. Campania has a lot to do in a small area, from the dramatic Amalfi coastline, to other ancient sites, castles and palaces.
