patrimonio unico #2
Capaccio-Paestum
Breath of omnipotence, of transcendence, a metaphysical breath that goes beyond actions, thoughts, human bonds
The most important Greek colonies in the Mediterranean were founded in Asia Minore and Magna Graecia (Magna Graecia, corresponding to southern Italy and Sicily), of which Poseidonia (Paestum) was part of. The maritime vocation of Poseidon-Paestum is reflected in the name that had been chosen for the city: Poseidon, for the Greeks, was the god of the sea. However accurate information on the circumstances of how the city was founded, is lacking. All of this took place around the middle of the seventh century BC. Nether less, everything seems to have left the city of Sibari, which established numerous trade colonies along the Tyrrhenian coast, such as Laos, then further north to the mouth of the Sele where a shrine dedicated to Hera was founded, near Paestum in the making. Strabo, the famous historian and geographer who lived at the time of Augustus (between 60 and 20 BC), reports that around 600 the Sibari established a fortified place near the mouth of the Sele river. Sibari, on the Gulf of Taranto, which is the home of Poseidonia, was founded in 720 BC by the Achaeans. This city was notoriously prosperous, known for its luxury and power, as reported by Diodorus Siculus in the first century BC, writing that "the Sibari were slaves to their bellies and lovers of luxury.” The coast of Paestum extends for almost thirteen kilometers of beach, Paestum is also a seaside resort, with a sandy beach that is 12 kilometers long, bordered by a forest of pines overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is characterized by a psammophile vegetation. It has a coast with a lot of value, naturalistic and historical-cultural value, where the sea lilies still bloom. It was given a Blue Flag this year. Today the coastline is well advanced: in ancient times the city had to look out onto two large coastal lagoons located to the west and south of it. The main beaches are: Villaggio Merola, Varolato, La Laura, Casina d'Amato, Ponte di Ferro, Licinella, Torre di Paestum and Foce Acqua dei Ranci.
