Greek Ruins of Paestum P3 05052025

Paestum was a significant ancient Greek city located on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea in Magna Graecia. The ruins of Paestum are renowned for their three well-preserved ancient Greek temples built in the Doric style, dating from around 550 BC. The city walls and amphitheater are largely intact, with many foundations of other structures still visible, along with paved roads. The archaeological site is open to the public and features a modern national museum with artifacts from the nearby Greek site of Foce del Sele.

Paestum was founded around 600 BC by settlers from Sybaris, a Greek colony in southern Italy, initially named Poseidonia (Ancient Greek: Ποσειδωνία). The city flourished as a Greek settlement for approximately two centuries and experienced the development of democracy. In 400 BC, the Lucanians seized control of the city. The Romans took over in 273 BC, renaming it Paestum and establishing a Latin colony. Eventually, the city declined due to changes in trade routes and issues related to flooding and marsh formation. Known as Pesto or Paestum, the town eventually became a bishopric (now only titular) but was abandoned during the Early Middle Ages. It remained largely forgotten until its rediscovery in the eighteenth century.

Today, the remains of the city are located in the modern frazione of Paestum, which is part of the comune of Capaccio Paestum in the Province of Salerno, in the Campania region of Italy. The contemporary settlement, situated just south of the archaeological site, is a popular seaside resort known for its long sandy beaches. The Paestum railway station, on the Naples-Salerno-Reggio Calabria railway line, is located directly to the east of the ancient city walls.