It takes only 15 minutes to walk from the beach to Porta Marina, the most well preserved gate of Paestum whose original structure can be admired. The “Trail of the Argonauts” leads to Porta Marina and, by continuing along the walls, to the gateway of Porta Giustizia.
Nowadays the coastline has advanced considerably: in antiquity the city must have overlooked two large coastal lagoons situated to the west and the south.
The maritime role of Poseidonia-Paestum is reflected in the name chosen for the city: Poseidon was the Greek god of the sea.
The temple of Athena, which stands at a slightly higher level than the other two, guided sailors as they approached the coast from the sea.
Although the exact position of the harbours is not known, the city certainly maintained an important commercial role until imperial times.
