Maiori and The Greeks at Paestum

We woke up at sunrise for our last morning in Minori. It was beautiful out, and Tom took a picture of 'first light' which you see is on the left. After our breakfast and pack-up and before loading the Fiat 500L, I looked outside and saw the seaside parking lot full of vendors - it was Thursday Market Day in Minori.

There really are very few shops in the town, and it appears that you can buy just about anything at the Market. There were fruits and vegetables, flowers, plants and herbs, clothing (underwear and outerware), and kitchen and household items. Everyone living in Minori seemed to be there.

It was now time to pack up the car and move on to Maiori, the next town along the coast. We didn't realized what a short drive it would be . . . people were actually walking and riding bikes from one town to the other . . . not something I would want to do, considering how narrow the road is !

MAIORI

From Minori, the road leads straight to Maiori, the fishing town once known as Reghinna Maior. The town has one of the largest beaches of all those on the Amalfi Coast, the dimensions of which increased further as a result of the catastrophic floods of 1954 which destroyed the whole of the historic center.

In the middle ages, what is now a peaceful little bathing resort was the Republic of Amalfi's principal port, its streets lined with such beautiful patrician palazzi that King Filippo IV declared the town Città Regia.

Maiori is dominated by the Castle of San Nicola de Thoro-Plano, rebuilt in the 15th century and which, like the adjacent church, is open to the general public.

The Collegiate Church of Santa Maria a Mare houses a statue of the Virgin which, according to the local legend, was found floating in the water, just off the town's shores.

In the complex of Santa Maria Olearia the crypts and catacombs of the first monks to reside here can be seen.

Strolling along the promenade and stopping to chat on the many benches seems to be a popular pastime among the older residents, at least among the gentlemen !

Once we left Maori we still had a short drive along the Amalfi Coast, where the narrow road continued to climb up and down and hug the cliff sides. As the road left the coast and headed inland, we passed through the town of Vietre sul Mare, famous for its ceramic tile factories. Beautiful ceramic tiles were everywhere . . . for sale in shops, on buildings, even on the highway barriers.

As we approached the "Autostrada" outside of Salerno, traffic came to a standstill. We soon discovered the reason. Whoever designed the highway had the cars and trucks getting off of the highway, cross in front of the cars and trucks getting onto the highway . . . and there was not enough room in the curves for the trucks to get around. The cars going in the opposite direction had to either move over, or wait until the truck passed by !

Once we got past that interesting bit of engineering, the rest of the drive to Paestum was easy. Before we toured the ruins, we found a beautiful restaurant nearby, where we had probably the best pizza ever.





PAESTUM

Paestum, or Poseidonia as it was originally known, was founded by Greeks from Sybaris in the 6th century BC. The Greeks built three great temples - the first dedicated to Hera and two more of uncertain dedications - between about 550 and 450 BC.

The city was colonized by the Romans in 273 BC, who Latinized its name to Paestum and added the usual Roman infrastructure of roads, forum and theaters. Christians moved in around the 5th century AD, converting at least one temple into a church and building a new church nearby.

By the 9th century AD, the land had become swampy and a combination of malaria and Saracen raids had decimated the population. The city and its great temples were abandoned and gradually overtaken by the forest, where it remained hidden until its discovery in the 18th century during the building of a road.

Paestum is home to three magnificent Doric temples, which are thought to be dedicated to the city's namesake Poseidon (known to the Romans as Neptune), Hera and Ceres. The temples of Neptune and Hera are located next to each other at the southern end of the site, while the smaller Temple of Ceres is at the northern end. You can walk up close to the temples, but they are roped off to prevent interior access.

The Temple of Hera is the oldest of the three temples, built about 550 BC. It is sometimes called the Basilica, based on an error of earlier archaeologists in thinking it was a Roman public building. Unlike the other temples, the dedication of this one is certain, thanks to inscriptions to Hera on the temple. An open-air altar was unearthed in front of the temple, where the faithful could attend rites and sacrifices without entering the cella (the holiest area accessed by priests).

The Temple of Neptune (or Apollo or Hera II) next door dates from 450 BC and is the most complete of the three - everything remains intact except the roof and parts of the inner walls. It has double rows of columns. On the east side are remains of two altars, one large and one smaller. The smaller one was added by the Romans when they cut through the larger altar to build a road to the forum. Statues around the larger altar may indicate that Apollo was patron of the temple. Another possible dedication is Hera, like the temple next to it.

The Temple of Ceres (or Athena) was built in c.500 BC in a transitional style between Ionic and early Doric. It was later used as a Christian church, as indicated by three Christian tombs discovered in the floor. (There was also a new Christian church built in Paestum in the 5th century, which still stands today.)

The middle of the site consists of the Roman forum, with extensive foundations of various public and private buildings.

Northwest of the forum is a small Roman amphitheater, of which only the southern half is visible. In 1930, a road was built across the site, burying the northern half. It is said by local inhabitants that the civil engineer responsible was tried, convicted and received a prison sentence for what was described as wanton destruction of a historic site.


It was only a 35 minute drive from Paestum to Eboli, and we were now heading inland toward the mountains.

EBOLI - What a Residence For Tonight

Our AirBnB host for tonight, Sabrina, had told us that her apartment is across from the castle, which sits at the highest point of the town. As we drove up we found ourselves in a maze of narrow roads (one car width only) and tiny courtyards. Sofia, our GPS voice on the phone, kept telling us that we had arrived at our destination, but we could not make sense of the doorways along the narrow passageways. A man with a cellphone offered to call Sabrina, and she told us that she would be right there to get us. We had made it to within 25 feet of her door, but never would have found it ourselves !

Sabrina, a (web marketer) and her sister, a (research physicist), greeted us warmly and showed us inside . . . the apartment is stunning. The inside is all brand-new, with 14 foot ceilings, top of the line kitchen, and oversize artwork that Sabrina herself has created. When we asked the girls where the nearest market is, so we could purchase something for breakfast, they told us that all of the food there was for us to use . . . eggs, cereal, breads, fresh fruit, honey, jellies, and even a bottle of wine ! Sabrina lives in Naples for most of the week, and she and her sister were just leaving to go there. They told us to be sure to explore the neighborhood, and just leave the key by the door when we check out in the morning.

We are in the Old Town section of Eboli, within the castle complex. The building we are in dates from the 1500s ! Many buildings in the area suffered severe damage during WWII part of the Battle of Salerno), with bullet holes and shell markings still visible. Although some buildings are in the process of being restored, a number of them are empty. Walking through the passageways made us feel like we were in a medieval castle.

Tom and I will be exploring Eboli and all its streets and passageways tomorrow.