Wander Through The Ancient City Of Paestum

If the bustling crowds and tour buses of Pompeii aren't your thing but you really want to see some remnants of the ancient empires that made Italy so great, why not visit Paestum on your next trip? Find a luxury villa in Campania and spend a day exploring the majestic ruins of the area.

Paestum is an ancient Greco-Roman city which was settled in the 6th century BC by the Greeks. They became rich and built up the city, leaving extensive building schemes behind them.

Next the Lucanians, a native group from Italy, took control of the lands but eventually, it was the Romans who took charge in 273 BC. Under their rule the name of the town changed from Poseidonia to Paestum. With the collapse of the Roman Empire, so too did Paestum fall. The town was pretty much abandoned, due to raids by the Saracens and malarial outbreaks in the surrounding swamps, and forgotten about from the 9th century AD onwards. However, those same swamps also aided in preserving the monuments of Paestum's past to this day. A new town, called Capaccio, was established nearby.

While life went on in the surrounding areas, Paestum remained wild and abandoned until the 18th century. In this period, a new interest in excavating ancient ruins had developed with major works taking place at sites such as Herculaneum and the Grand Tour becoming increasingly more important as a rite-of-passage for educated young men. When Paestum was rediscovered by road-builders, it was suddenly given a new lease of life. Much still remains hidden under agricultural land to this day but, at its centre, an archaeological zone was established that celebrates the history of the area.

Paestum boasts three well-preserved Doric Greek temples, ruins of houses and a museum filled with Greek artefacts. It covers a large area and can take up to two hours to explore thoroughly. Souvenir shops, bars, a pizzeria, a couple of restaurants and a hotel have been established in the area and mean that you can easily spend a leisurely day exploring the ruins while staying well-fed, hydrated and relaxed. Further sites such as Heraion, a Sanctuary of Hera, by the mouth of the river Sele, the National Park of the Cilento, the ruins of the Greek city of Elea/Velia, and the Charterhouse at Padula are nearby and can also be explored.

If you are spending time in Campania, this really is a must-see and, oftentimes, it isn't even that busy – you could end up with ruins all to yourself!