The city of Paestum was founded at the beginning of the 7th century BC. When Greek colonists conquered the area, they named the city Poseidonia, in honor of Poseidon, god of the sea. Its strategic position near the Sele River, on the Gulf of Salerno, allowed the settlement to grow and flourish.
Paestum owes its present name and much of its historical legacy to the Romans who, after defeating the Greeks in 273 BC, established a Latin colony and renamed it Paestum. During the Roman era, the city saw the construction of magnificent buildings such as the thermae, the forum portico, the Temple of Peace and the amphitheatre.
This exceptional region offers an abundance of sights—rich in art, history and tradition—waiting to be explored.
