Paestum, half an hour north of Ascea by train, has three of the best preserved Greek temples in the world. It also has extensive market, public, and residential areas. Founded by the Greeks, it was taken over after some centuries by the Samnites, an Italic people, and then by the Romans. Each left its distinctive marks. The student of economic history can admire the beauty of the temples as much as anyone else. He or she must also pause to consider how they were built both technically and economically.
Paestum was preserved by the slow subsidence of the land that turned the area into a malarial marsh unfit for habitation. The land then rose again, and Paestum was "discovered" again in the 18th. century. In recent years, Greek and Samnite paintings on the inside of tombs have been discovered. These pictures are among the very few examples we have of Greek painting.
