• Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Gplus
  • Twitter
Italian Notes
  • HOME
  • PEOPLE & PLACES
    • Abruzzo
    • Basilicata
    • Calabria
    • Campania
    • Emilia-Romagna
    • Friuli-Venezia Giulia
    • Lazio
    • Liguria
    • Lombardia-Lombardy
    • Marche
    • Molise
    • Piemonte-Piedmont
    • Puglia – Apulia
    • Sicilia
    • Toscana-Tuscany
    • Trentino-Alto Adige – Trentino-South Tyrol
    • Umbria
    • Veneto
  • FOOD
    • Antipasti
    • Primi piatti
    • Secondi piatti
    • Dolci
  • PR/ADVERTISING
  • Search
  • Menu
  • The Paestum temples

The Paestum temples

Greek ruins in a sea of flowers

A once flourishing town in Magna Grecia disappeared for centuries like some Italian Angkor-Wat before it was rediscovered. Now the three Paestum temples mark a quietly charming UNESCO World Heritage site.

Booking.com


In pre-Roman times Paestum was a wealthy logistic hub, where trade goods were transferred from ship to land transportation to avoid the long and dangerous passage through the Strait of Messina. People lived in comparative luxury in a town with covered arcades, an entertainment arena, and three temples to ensure their spiritual well-being, before the town was swallowed by a swamp and taken over by malaria and mosquitoes. From the 9th to the 18th century, Paestum was all but forgotten until some road builder happened to plough right through the ruins. This led to a partial excavation in the flatlands between the mountains and the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Fascinating Surroundings

The first thing I noticed when we came to Paestum a hot summer day was not so much the three incredibly well-preserve Doric temples, dating back to the first half of the 6th century BC. They looked more or less as described and painted by traveling writers and artists in the 19th century. But I hadn’t expected to see the old ruins surrounded by sun burned grasses, crumbling foundations and flowering oleanders.

paestum temples - Italian Notes

My photograph of the Columns of the Temple of Neptune at Paestum (right) beside the same view painted by Danish artist Constantin Hansen in 1838.

Both because there is a strong contrast between the arid undergrowth and the lush proliferating bushes, and because the place was more or less deserted. Apart from a few souvenir shops outside the ancient town walls there were no queues and tourist busses. We – and a population of fat lizards – had the temples to ourselves, and the flowers gave the place a tranquil beauty and serenity, I felt lucky to experience.

The Roses of Paestum

The atmosphere was precisely as described by travelers from by-gone centuries. According to HV Morton, Horat, Ovid and Martial all mentioned the flowers and especially the twice flowering roses of Paestum.

Henry Swinbourne, who was one of the first foreigners to visit Paestum (and Crotone) after it had been recovered, writes about a wild, deeply red rose with a strong fragrance, though he didn’t actually see it. And Norman Douglas thought he had found the real rose of Paestum and tried to transplant his pickled specimens to English soil. He didn’t succeed, and the roses haven’t been seen since, but oleanders make a nice if unfragrant substitute, so that Paestum has retained its spirit through the ages.

 

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Google+
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
19 replies
  1. Sophie
    Sophie says:
    May 24, 2012 at 2:35 pm

    Looks much less crumbled in 1838; wonder if Hansen took some artistic liberties. In any case, Southern Italy looks ever more interesting through your articles.

    Reply
  2. Leigh
    Leigh says:
    May 24, 2012 at 3:11 pm

    Ruins in a sea of flowers with no one else around sounds perfect. I rather like Hansen’s view of the scene.

    Reply
  3. admin
    admin says:
    May 24, 2012 at 3:17 pm

    I prefer Hansen as well. His ability to capture the light is much better than my old analogue camera.

    Reply
  4. Laurel
    Laurel says:
    May 24, 2012 at 3:39 pm

    What a find! I love UNESCO sites, but haven’t heard of this one. The painting is so good that at first glance I thought it was a photo.

    Reply
  5. AdriBarr
    AdriBarr says:
    May 27, 2012 at 3:53 pm

    What a terrific post. I love reading about the plants. I have heard of the roses of Paestum. I have no idea of their scent, however. And isn’t it remarkable how much your photo and the painting are similar. Thanks again for a wonderful armchair travel experience.

    Reply
  6. D.J. - The World of Deej
    D.J. - The World of Deej says:
    June 4, 2012 at 1:04 pm

    What an incredible day, and love the contrast between your photo and the painting…

    Reply
  7. antonella
    antonella says:
    June 13, 2012 at 8:25 pm

    I was born and raised not far from there! In fact I have photos of me in the temples when it was still allowed to enter them!

    Reply
  8. Jenna
    Jenna says:
    June 14, 2012 at 7:08 am

    I have heard a lot about Paestum but have never been there. It must be an amazing place to visit. I love your comparison of the painting and your photo!

    Reply
  9. Arianna
    Arianna says:
    July 16, 2012 at 10:00 pm

    Nice blog.. Yes Paestum is beautiful. Check out also my post on it, maybe you can get few more tips :)
    https://selectitaly.com/blog/italy-travel-destinations/save-a-greek-temple-today/

    Reply
  10. Mary @ Green Global Travel
    Mary @ Green Global Travel says:
    July 27, 2012 at 7:37 pm

    The combination of the well-preserve Doric temples & few tourist makes this a great destination. Thanks for highlighting this fantastic place!

    Reply
  11. Maria
    Maria says:
    January 26, 2014 at 4:01 am

    Amazing how these places, these structures survive wars and neglect – I wasn’t aware of the Paestum Temples so thank you very much Mette. Love this site for all that you teach me each week.

    Reply
    • admin
      admin says:
      January 29, 2014 at 6:23 pm

      Good – I’ve always wanted to be a school mistress:)

      Reply
  12. Victor Tribunsky
    Victor Tribunsky says:
    January 26, 2014 at 6:00 am

    Maria, why you gave only one image?

    Reply
    • admin
      admin says:
      January 29, 2014 at 6:24 pm

      I’m not sure I can answer that:)

      Reply
  13. Muza-chan
    Muza-chan says:
    January 26, 2014 at 11:21 am

    Beautiful…

    Reply
    • admin
      admin says:
      January 29, 2014 at 6:24 pm

      Thanks

      Reply
  14. Lori
    Lori says:
    February 28, 2014 at 5:47 pm

    Sounds like a peaceful place and looks like a place to discover!

    Reply
    • admin
      admin says:
      March 5, 2014 at 6:23 pm

      Yes, and there’s not many tourists around. At least there wasn’t when I was there.

      Reply

Trackbacks & Pingbacks

  1. The Paestum temples: Greek ruins in a sea of flowers | Umbria & Italy | Scoop.it says:
    March 27, 2013 at 10:31 pm

    […] The once flourishing town in Magna Grecia disappeared for centuries before it was rediscovered.  […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Followon TwitterSubscribeto RSS Feed
Discover Rome - Italian Notes

Discover Rome

Discover Florence - Italian Notes

Discover Florence

Discover Venice - Italian Notes

Discover Venice

Discover Puglia - Italian Notes

Discover Puglia

Discover Sicily - Italian Notes

Discover Sicily

Discover Piedmont - Italian Notes

Discover Piedmont

© Copyright - Italian Notes
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Gplus
  • Twitter
Scroll to top

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

OK