where everything began

Did you know? The travellers of the 18th century discovered the Greek temples in Paestum. Not in Greece, but in Paestum! Even Johann Winckelmann, the inventor of the history of ancient art. The one who convinced us that the art of ancient Greece is insuperable and we can only hope to imitate it. But he never went to Greece. He came to Paestum!

city of temples

One speaks of “the temples of Paestum” as if only the temples were there. In the 19th century they even built a state road right through the heart of the city, to ride next to the temples in a carriage: the road is still there, although it is now restricted to pedestrians. Obviously, Paestum is not just its temples. It is a whole city. But without its temples, it would not be Paestum.

to enter the past

In Paestum you can. You can enter the temples just like in the past. Walk around the huge columns and feel tiny. You can take a close look at the most ancient architecture of Greek art, and appreciate its harmony and proportions. You can understand it was built to be in a dynamic relationship with the surrounding landscape. That ancient temples were built to rearrange the landscape. They were geometry, inside and outside. They were true masterpieces.

city of goddesses

The city owes its name to a god, Poseidon, god of the sea. But it was the goddesses who ruled the roost! The two large sanctuaries within the walls, to the south and north of the large agora – the square of Greek cities – were dedicated to Hera, the spouse of the father of the gods, Zeus, and to Athena, goddess of wisdom and war. And there were sanctuaries of the two goddesses also at the borders of the territory ruled by the city: to the south (Athena) and to the north (Hera). In short, the two goddesses were everywhere: strong, iron-willed, to be feared and worshipped. Great women indeed.

because #notjusttemples

The forum and the amphitheatre, the comitium and the pool, the market and the tabernae, the baths and the houses. There aren’t just temples in Paestum. There’s a whole city. Mostly, a Roman city. But something of its Greek founders remains, in addition to the temples. The round ekklesiasterion, i.e. the place of the citizens’ meeting, which however the Romans turned into a rubbish dump. And the cenotaph, i.e. the empty tomb, of the founding hero, the “father of the homeland”, symbol of the city’s identity. Nobody dared to touch it, for centuries. Not even the Romans.

and I restore the walls

You can contribute too. You can adopt a block of the Paestum walls. Did you know? And did you know that they are among the most beautiful and best-preserved walls of antiquity? Admired and depicted since the times of the Grand Tour. “A thing of beauty!” wrote Johann Winckelmann about them. Go around them: 4 gates and 28 towers, 5 kilometres in all. Mostly built by the Romans (although they existed even before). Well, what are you waiting for? Adopt a block and take part in the restoration!

to discover ancient myths

Jason, Heracles, Achilles, Ulysses, Patroclus. And Medea, Hecuba, Hera, Leto. The ancient myths are all of us, they tell stories that are ever relevant. That is why they were depicted in the temples: because everyone found answers in them. Like the myths of the extraordinary metopes found in the sanctuary of Hera at the mouth of the Sele, at the border with the land of the Etruscans. Snapshots carved in stone. True masterpieces that spoke to Greeks and foreigners alike. Just as they speak to us today.

for a dip. In the sea?

Yes, in the sea, we dive in the sea. Yet, what did that Diver plunge into, the one after whom the most famous tomb of antiquity is named? Into the afterlife, towards a new life? Perhaps. However, nowadays everyone sees what they will in the Diver. He is so essential, so modern, that he speaks to everyone and strikes a chord deep in every one of us. He forces us to look within. He unveils our souls.

with the first gladiators

Who invented the gladiator games? Certainly not the Romans! No, they were invented by other peoples of ancient Italy. Such as the Lucani who lived in Paestum in the 4th century BC. They organised banquets and games to honour the deceased, then depicted all of that in the tombs. Even gruesome duels, fought to the accompaniment of a flute. Perhaps they had their prisoners fight in this way and shed their blood for the deceased. Perhaps. On things is true: everyone liked those fights. And the cunning Romans copied them.

to see the ancient world in colour

Beautiful Helen knew a thing or two! In the tragedy by Euripides that bears her name, she wishes, "If only I could shed my beauty and assume an uglier aspect…the way you would wipe colour off a statue”. Also for the ancients white was unreal. Also for them, reality and life were colourful. Today many ancient colours have vanished, but they were there! And many have been preserved in Paestum. In the tombs, on the vases and, if one takes a close look, even on statues and temples. Yes, also there. In Paestum, the hunt for colour is on!

to discover the lights of the night

Everything is asleep. Only the stars glow faintly. Then, there they are, all of a sudden. The temples of Paestum are lit up! The walls are lit up! Visions that one will never, ever forget. They alone are “worth the visit” as we say. But Paestum is actually unique at all times of the day. Every moment has its magic and they must all be savoured fully. See Paestum and die.

icon of Europe

Well yes, the picture everyone knows of beautiful Europe astride the bull, the symbol of the continent’s shared identity, was made in Paestum. It was the work of the famous Paestum ceramist Assteas who painted her on a large krater, i.e. a vessel used for watering down wine at banquets. So everyone could remember the story of the Phoenician princess kidnapped by Zeus, after he appeared to her as a bull. He took her abroad, to Crete, i.e. in Europe. He created the first bridge between East and West. Because everyone knows that the sea joins people. As well as the continents.