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19th Century Paestum - little has changed
Town & Temples of Paestum It is the ruins of the Greek temples that make Paestum one of Italy's major historical centers. For honeymoons, weddings and romantic trips it provides some of the most fantastic picture backdrops anywhere. However, the town of Paestum sits on many miles of wonderful golden beaches, has great views of the Amalfi Coast, and is surrounded by lush vineyards, orchards, and olive groves. It also specializes in buffalo mozzarella cheese. When the ruins of Paestum were 'rediscovered' by 'antiquaries'—chiefly Johann Joachim Winckelmann—in the 1750s, "the ruins [were] then made widely known, and an enthusiastic appreciation of Greek art and architecture was also sparked...Because of Paestum, the Classic Revival was born with Greece, not Rome, ascendant." The three Paestum temples (Hera, Cerere and Nettuno) are all in the Archaic Doric style of heavy columns with capitals that are squat, or as Goethe termed them, 'oppressive.' By the time the Parthenon was finished (438 B.C.), columns were elegantly slender, capitals had an alert, load-bearing profile, and refinement attended every detail. Moreover, they were carved from Parian marble; Paestum's now crudely exposed shellstone shafts, it is only fair to say, were originally covered with lime stucco. As in Greece proper, the temples at Paestum face easterly so that the rising sun will awaken the statue within."
Santa Maria Castellabate Interactive Map of Santa Maria Castellabate Santa Maria di Castellabate and its neighbouring fishing village San Marco with its colourful port are situated on the beautiful and unspoilt Cilento coastline. Overlooking these villages is the medieval town of Castellabate with its narrow cobbled streets and historic buildings commanding breathtaking views across the bay to the Almafi Coast. A combination of history, art, culture and tradition together with an Italian flair gives the area its unique quality. Here, the Cilento coastline is a combination of natural sandy beaches, rocky coves, terraced olive groves and Mediterranean vegetation forming part of the 'Parco del Cilento` - a protected natural parkland reserve.
Acciaroli
Just south of Santa Maria Castellabate lies the Hemingway Hideaway of Acciaroli. Little has changed - a few more coffee bars and restaurants, but it is still a fisherman's fishing village. Between the town and it's neighboring coast they host some of Italy's most beautiful and tranquil beaches -
nteractive Map of Paestum and Castellabate
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