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I visited this incredible archaeological site with a friend in summer 2023. We travelled by train from Salerno to the quiet town of Paestum.  The site itself is tucked away, almost hidden from tourists. We walked along a road through a quiet, rural area where it didn't seem like you would expect to find anything apart from fields and a few houses.

However, when you pass through the visitor's entrance, you are greeted by quite a remarkable sight.

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Imposing Greek temples stand tall, dominating the site and drawing your eye immediately. Remarkably, these temples have survived largely intact since the 6th century BC, which is when Paestum was founded by the Greeks. It later became a Roman town. In the Middle Ages, it was abandoned and became covered by swamp land. It is this that helped to preserve the site until it was rediscovered in the 1760s during a project to reclaim the land.

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What makes this site particularly interesting is that you have Greek and Roman buildings alongside each other. Doric style temples dedicated to Athena and Hera are located a stone's throw from a Roman amphitheatre. So, how did this happen?

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In the 7th century BC, Paestum was founded as a Greek colony known as Poseidonia. However, at the end of the 5th century, Poseidonia was invaded by the Lucanians, an Italic group of people from southern Italy. They renamed the city Paiston.

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Despite the invasion, archaeological evidence suggests that the Greeks and Lucanians lived in relative harmony. Pre-existing Greek buildings such as the temples and bouleterion (council house) remained in use.  In fact, a new temple was constructed in a Greek architectural style. Pottery produced in the town retained its Greek character with the red-figure style of painting as well as depictions of Greek mythology.

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Greek style painting also survives from tombs. One of the most well known is the Tomb of the Diver, pictured below. Dating to 480 BC, it is the only evidence for large scale Greek painting prior to the 4th century BC.

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It was not until 273 BC that the city became the Roman colony known as Paestum. The Greek agora (market) was replaced by a Roman forum; a new temple was built, which mirrored the design of the Capitoline temple in Rome; an amphitheatre and baths were also constructed.

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The city prospered until the Middle Ages when it was abandoned and became flooded by a nearby river. It was this flooding that created the swamps which led to the site's preservation, allowing us to enjoy its magnificence to this day.