First Temple of Hera (Paestum) Archaeological Site

Address: Parco Archeologico di Paestum, Via Magna Grecia, 919, 84047 Paestum SA, Italy

Website: https://www.beniculturali.it/mibac

Hours: Archaeological Park and museum usually Daily 9:00am-7:00pm (seasonal variations apply); check official site before visiting.

Admission: Combined ticket for Paestum archaeological park and museum €15 (adult, subject to change); discounts for EU citizens/children often available.

The First Temple of Hera at Paestum, often called the Basilica, is a large Archaic Greek temple in the Paestum archaeological park in Campania, southern Italy, dating to around 550 BCE. It is one of the earliest and best-preserved examples of large-scale Doric stone architecture from Magna Graecia.

The temple presents a striking peripteral plan with nine columns along the short façade and eighteen along the long sides; its footprint is roughly 24.5 by 59 metres, and many of the external columns remain standing. Visitors approach the temple as part of the wider Paestum complex, which includes other major Greek temples and visible ruins spread across the site.

Built during the Greek period of the colony of Poseidonia (later called Paestum), the structure was dedicated to the goddess Hera and served as a major religious building for the community. The temple fell into ruin in later centuries and was rediscovered and excavated from the 18th century onward, becoming central to the study of ancient Greek architecture in Italy.

The temple stands within the archaeological park at Paestum, on the coastal plain of southern Campania, a short distance inland from the Gulf of Salerno and the modern town of Paestum.

• Architecture and size: Peripteral Doric layout with nine columns on the short sides and eighteen on the long sides, and approximate dimensions of 24.5 by 59 metres.

Paestum is reached by regional trains from Salerno (about 40 minutes) or by car on the A3 motorway (take the Paestum exit). The archaeological park is a short walk from Paestum station.

• Enter early morning to see the temples in low light and avoid the midday coaches.
• Bring a hat and sunscreen - the archaeological site is almost entirely exposed.
• Allow time to visit the small museum (Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Paestum) to see the painted tombs and artifacts that explain the temples' lives.