Visit Paestum
Discovering the city of Paestum among temples and golden beaches
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Visit Paestum, a true gem within the Cilento area. It is not just about temples, it is about pine groves and wide beaches where people can bathe and relax under the sun.
Moreover, people can also have some delicious local food, such as the buffalo mozzarella cheese, that is peculiar to the Piana del Sele (Sele river’s Plain), and the PGI Paestum wine.
The gem of Paestum is the Archaeological Park, that includes the city walls and the Archaeological museum: a walk along the Magna Graecia streets and the famous temples. Definitely a must-see location.
Not far from the Paestum’s temples there is the historic centre of Capaccio, a small hamlet not that popular but still beautiful, with a maze of alleys and piazzas where you can see the Torre dell’Orologio (Clock Tower) dating back to the 15th century and the Baroque-style fontana dei tre delfini (Three dolphins fountain).
The whole Paestum area, as well as the whole Piana del Sele area, is full of cheese factories producing PDO buffalo mozzarella cheese, that offer picnic areas where you can enjoy some local white gold; alternatively you can also have some yogurt and ice cream made with buffalo milk, tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella cheese sandwiches, slices of buffalo mozzarella pizza…every kind of local specialty that includes buffalo mozzarella cheese.
Usually, these cheese factories-agritourisms are overcrowded, especially in summer, so you better book a table so as to avoid queuing under the sun. Here’s a brief list of the best factories in our opinion: Tenuta Vannulo, Caseificio e yogurteria Il Granato, Caseificio Barlotti.
The Paestum area is very quiet, but if you want to spend an evening full of fun there is the Nevada Playground, near the archaeological park, opened in 1970 and suitable for all ages.
The beach of Paestum is a sandy 15 km long beach with shallow waters. It offers both free areas and full facilities areas, with beach clubs and camp grounds. One of the most famous beaches is the Licinella-Torre di Paestum (an ancient military fortification) beach, not far from the archaeological park.
Between the residential area and the coast of Paestum there is a very dense pine grove where you can relax in the shade and have a picnic.
We suggest that you spend the day at the beach, buy a tomato and buffalo mozzarella cheese sandwich at one of the many food shops in town and enjoy it in the shade of the pine grove at lunch.