It was another hot and scalding day. We made the drive past Vallo down into Paestum. The sea is there of course too and it’s a very popular spot, as you can see from the crowds.
Interestingly the ruins of the city of Paestum was not discovered until many years after it was first abandoned when the Romans left. After the Romans left there was no money to maintain the area and due to poor sanitation the inhabitants eventually left. The swamp that surrounded the city kept travellers at a distance. Only when the bureaucrats decided to drain the swamp to build a road to cross through Paestum did they actually discover this lost city. What a treasure! There remain a fair number of buildings that are still in tact to this day. One of which you can see lit up here in these photos, that is one of the places of worship.
Today, Paestum is a popular tourist destination catering for budget travellers with campsites on the beach right through to the wealthy with upmarket resorts and hotels.
The shops, pizzerias and nightlife near and on the beach front in Paestum is full of people, music and activity. Never a dull moment, that’s for sure!
Alice Letts 