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Paestum is an ancient city located in the Sele Valley, which is home to one of the most important archaeological sites in Italy. The city was founded in the Sele Valley in 600 BC - a few years after Agropoli - by the Greeks of Sybaris, the most important Greek city in Calabria, and was named Poseidonia, after the Greek name of the sea god Poseidon. In the 4th century BC, Poseidonia came under the rule of the Lucanians, who changed the name of the city to Paiston. In 273 BC, it acquired the name Paestum following the Roman conquest of the city walls. In the 9th century AD, due to numerous attacks by the Saracens and the unhealthy climate, it declined and was abandoned. It was rediscovered in the 18th century thanks to the construction of new roads in 1748. Excavations brought to light the remains of the ancient city, which had been preserved under the mud of the marshy areas: public and religious buildings, roads, and fortified walls are still visible, and a museum preserves all the archaeological finds, including frescoes, tomb gold, terracotta vases, and sculptures.

The heart of the archaeological area of Paestum is the three majestic temples: the Temple of Hera (mid-6th century BC), the Temple of Neptune (5th century BC), the largest and best preserved temple in Paestum, and the Temple of Ceres (presumably datable between the other two). The Temple of Neptune (even though it is now known that it was dedicated to Hera and not to Poseidon, it continues to be called so in reference to tradition) dates back to the middle of the 5th century BC and is the most recent, best preserved, and most imposing of the three temples. It is a peripteral temple that, despite some stylistic and structural anomalies (such as the number of fourteen columns on the long sides), fully falls within the classical Doric architecture. The Temple of Athena (erroneously known as the Temple of Ceres) is the second in chronological order (late 6th century) and the smallest of the three temples. It is a Doric peripteral temple with six Ionic columns. The temple was presumably the heart of a small sanctuary, of which only a few remains have been preserved, including the altar with the sacrificial pit. The Ionic capitals of the temple are the only monumental examples of archaic age that have been found in Magna Graecia. The oldest of the three temples of Paestum was dedicated to the Greek goddess of fertility Hera. The city walls have four gates and run around the archaeological area for almost 5 km. They were built by the Greeks but were only later fortified by the Lucanians and Romans. Many Lucanian tombs have been found near the city: the most famous is the Tomb of the Diver (c. 480 BC). The scene represented on the roof slab symbolizes a transition that is almost harmonious from life to death. The temples of Paestum are a major tourist attraction. Even the famous German poet Goethe visited them in March 1787, only thirty years after their discovery, and was deeply impressed.