Paestum - Travel & Tourism Guide Paestum - Italie

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Poseidonia was founded by the Greeks around 600 BC, in honor of Poseidon, the god of the sea. It was then occupied, between 400 and 273 BC, by the Italian population of Lucanians and became a Roman colony under the name of Paestum in 273 BC. The fall of the Roman Empire coincided with the end of the city. Around 500, it was gradually abandoned by its inhabitants, due to a malaria epidemic and the unhealthiness of the territory. Paestum was rediscovered in 1762 and completely cleared in the 20th century. Today it is an essential archaeological site of Magna Graecia, consisting of three Greek Doric temples, remarkably well preserved, and a museum. The site is listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site.