Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Train
Salerno is a major stop on southbound routes to Calabria, and the Ionian and Adriatic
coasts. From the station in Piazza Vittorio Veneto there are regular trains to Naples (€9, 35
minutes, half-hourly) and Rome (Intercity, from €19, three hours, hourly).
Paestum
Paestum, or Poseidonia as the city was originally called (in honour of Poseidon, the Greek
god of the sea), was founded in the 6th century BC by Greek settlers and fell under Ro-
man control in 273 BC. Decline later set in following the demise of the Roman Empire.
Savage raids by the Saracens and periodic outbreaks of malaria forced the steadily dwind-
ling population to abandon the city altogether.
Although most people visit Paestum for the day, there is a surprising number of good
hotels, and this delightful rural area makes a convenient stopover point for travellers head-
ing for the Cilento region. See the Paestum section of the Accommodation chapter (
Click
PAESTUM'S TEMPLES
A Unesco World Heritage site, these
temples
( 0828 81 10 23; adult/reduced, including museum
€10/5; 8.45am-7.45pm, last entry 7pm)
are among the best-preserved monuments of Magna Graecia,
the Greek colony that once covered much of southern Italy. The temples were rediscovered in the late
18th century, but the site as a whole wasn't unearthed until as late as the 1950s. Lacking the mobs of
tourists that can detract from the atmosphere at better-known archaeological sites, there is a wonderful
serenity about the place. Take sandwiches and prepare to stay a while. If you are visiting in springtime,
the temples are particularly stunning, surrounded by meadows of scarlet poppies and wild flowers.
Buy your tickets in the museum, just east of the site, before entering from the main entrance on the
northern end. The first structure to take your breath away is the 6th-century-BC
Tempio di Cerere
(Temple of Ceres). Originally dedicated to Athena, it served as a Christian church in medieval times.
As you head south, you can pick out the basic outline of the large rectangular forum, the heart of the
ancient city. Among the partially standing buildings are the vast domestic housing area and, further
south, the amphitheatre; both provide evocative glimpses of daily life here in Roman times.
