Monuments and nature
Paestum is a unique archaeological site, not just due to the presence of the three exceptionally well-preserved temples, but also due to the historical landscape in which it is situated. It is still possible to discern the atmosphere of a remote past, from Greek colonisation to the presence of eighteenth century artists and writers (Piranesi, Goethe and many others) and the landing of the Allied forces in 1943 which took place only a short distance away from the temples.
Further inland and to the south, in Cilento, the terrain becomes more mountainous. This area, inhabited in antiquity by non-Greek populations, wolves and bears, is now the site of one of Italy’s most beautiful nature reserves, the National Park of Cilento.
