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 Regions in Italy : Region Campania : Province Salerno: Capaccio Paestum
Salerno in Campania

Capaccio Paestum

Province of Salerno, Campania, Italy

Capaccio Paestum is located along the Thyrrhenian coast about 85 km of Naples, south of the Sele river, and includes in its territory the ruins of the ancient Greek-Roman city of Paestum. The seaside areas have beautiful beaches with thick pinewood behinds, and offer a variety of holiday facilities, including tourist villages, campings and fine hotels. Proceeding south-west into the hinterland there is the Cilento - Vallo di Diano National Park.

INFO: Altitude: 112 m a.s.l -- Population: ca. 20,000 inhabitants -- Zip/postal code: 84047 - 84040 (Capaccio Paestum Scalo), 84050 (Gromola), 84063 (Laura, Paestum), 84060 (Ponte Barizzo) -- Phone Area Code: 0828 -- Frazioni: Capaccio Marittima (seat of the townhall), Borgo Nuovo, Cafasso, Chiorbo, Foce Sele, Gaiarda, Gromola, Laura, Licinella, Linora, Paestum, Ponte Barizzo, Rettifilo-Vannulo, Spinazzo, Santa Venere, Tempa di Lepre, Torre di Mare, Tempa San Paolo, Vuccolo Maiorano. -- Località: Andreoli, Crispi, Fuscillo, Getsemani, Torre di Paestum, Pietrale, Capo di Fiume, Residenza Dorica, Sabatella, Scigliati, Seliano, Seude Grattacaso, Stregara, Villaggio Merola.

HISTORY: Founded around the start of the 7th century BC by Greek colonists, and originally known as Poseidonia, it later became the Roman city of Paestum in 273 BC after the Graeco-Italian Poseidonians sided with the loser, Pyrrhus, in war against Rome during the first quarter of the 3rd century BC.

The city remained in continuous occupation throughout the Roman imperial period, but started to go into decline between the 4th and 7th centuries, probably due to changes in local land drainage patterns leading to swampy malarial conditions.

It was abandoned during the Middle Ages, and its ruins only came to notice again in the 18th century, following the rediscovery of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

WHAT TO SEE
  • Three major temples in Doric style, dating from the first half of the 6th century BC. Of these, two were dedicated to the Greek goddesss Hera and the third to Athena, although they have traditionally been associated with the names of the Roman deities Poseidon, Neptune, and Ceres, due to 18th century mis-attribution.

    • Map of Capaccio Paestum:
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