On Saturday we took a leisurely one hour drive to Paestum, the site of 7th century BC Greek Poseidonia. From our guide book, we learned "Paestum enjoyed 1000 years of prosperity, first as Greek Poseidonia, then under the Lucanians, then the Romans. The crumbling of the Roman Empire led to the gradual abandonment of the city, and with that, the degradation of the fields, which turned into malaria-ridden swamps. No one dared come near the spot until the 18th century, when Charles III was having a road built, trees cleared etc..and out of this clearing, there they were--three intact Greek temples." Much more was discovered in teh 20th century, and for only 4 euro you can walk amongst the remains of the temples, ampitheatres, and city walls, and also view many of the artifacts, pottery and sculpture that were unburied which are showcased in the Paestum museum.
We had a great time exploring all of the ruins, and after an exhausting (not so much, but good excuse) hike around the grounds, I suggested we boost up our energy with a much needed gelato. So, we relaxed with 2 scoops of gelato at the touristy gelato stand outside of the ruins, and headed home, wondering what our next day trip will be:)
(Pictures of Paestum and my gelato. I love how they put whipped cream and a cookie on top of each cone--why not go all out is my motto:)
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