Classical Italy Day 5: Paestum and Salerno

Persistent rain and clouds left us unable to go to Capri and the mysterious Blue Grotto, as the waves were practically five feet high, but we made our way to a place equally as amazing.

After an hour and a half on the bus, with several great views of the coastline, we arrived at Paestum, a group of some of the most intact Ancient Greek temples in the world. They included two to the Greek Goddess Hera and one to Poseidon - neither of which were Roman deities. This is because they are located in Magna Graecia, an area of Italy once settled by the Greeks. These temples have full rows of columns and many pieces of the roof and floor almost entirely as they would have been some two thousand years ago; the accompanying museum nearby housed the relief sculptures that would have been found on the outside of the roof, but were too damaged to be displayed outdoors. In addition, several other areas have not even been excavated yet, leaving more to be discovered. Everyone enjoyed walking through the temples, even with a drizzle overhead.

The surrounding ruins seemed to stretch endlessly. Left only as foundations of houses and other small buildings, these stones were overgrown with thousands of flowers, truly showing the place’s age and longevity. Needless to say, this made for some great photos!

Juniors, Sophomores, and Tim

Seniors!

Paestum temple to Hera

Lastly, while it still poured, we drove to Salerno, a modern Italian city right on the coast. Shops lined the winding alleyways and streets, making for a very fun time shopping and enjoying plenty of hot chocolate, a personal recommendation if you ever find yourself in an Italian cafe. 

Once back at our rooms, a downpour still falling outside, we dried off and had our last dinner in Naples before heading to Rome on Wednesday; ahead is a long drive with stops at Sperlonga and Terracina and a very worthwhile final destination, Rome!

Hudson Reynolds
Tuesday, March 20