Second Temple of Hera (Paestum) Archaeological Site

Address: Paestum Archaeological Park, 84047 Capaccio Paestum SA, Italy

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

Hours: Daily (seasonal hours) typically 8:30am-7pm in high season (check local park hours)

Admission: Included with admission to the Paestum archaeological site and museum: approx. €12-€16 (adult) for combined ticket (prices vary)

The Second Temple of Hera, commonly called Hera II or the Temple of Neptune, is an ancient Greek temple in the archaeological area of Paestum in Campania, Italy. It dates to the classical period of Magna Graecia and is among the best-preserved Doric temples in Italy.

Architectural highlights include a peripteral Doric colonnade in a 6 by 14 column arrangement and a clear, robust silhouette typical of mid-fifth century BCE Greek temple design. The temple is one of three major Greek temples at Paestum that form the core of the archaeological site.

The structure was built in the classical Greek period, around the mid 5th century BCE, for cult and ritual use. Over the centuries the site was abandoned and then rediscovered during the modern archaeological period, which led to excavation and conservation work from the 18th century onward.

The temple stands within the Paestum archaeological park in the coastal plain of Campania, roughly southeast of Naples and close to the present-day town of Paestum.

• Columns: The temple has a classical Doric peristyle with six columns at each short end and fourteen along each long side, a common 6x14 layout in Greek architecture.

Paestum is reached by car via the A3 motorway from Salerno (exit Battipaglia) or by regional train from Salerno to Paestum station. The archaeological park is a short walk from the station and well signposted from local roads.

• Purchase a combined ticket for the archaeological park and museum to see the nearby museums that contextualize the temples.
• Visit early morning or late afternoon for cooler temperatures and the best light on the Doric columns.
• Take time to walk the surrounding site; the Second Temple of Hera shares the necropolis and broad plains with the First Temple and the better-known Temple of Neptune.