The Temple of Poseidon, Paestum
In ancient times Greater Greece extended into Italy, where we now find some of the best-preserved Greek temples. This is the Temple of Poseidon (Neptune) in Paestum. We had seen pictures of temples like this, but it’s only when you walk in them that you realize how massive they are. We not only walked around the outer peristyle, as the ancient Greeks did, but entered the inner temple, as only the high priests could do. The columns are not exactly evenly spaced. The Greeks did this intentionally to give the appearance of equal spacing when seen from a distance, countering the effects of perspective to give the symmetry and regularity that they loved.
We then endured a harrowing minibus ride along the cliffs on a narrow road to arrive at Positano on the Amalfi coast. Imagine California’s Highway 1 but only a little over one lane wide, on the edge of a steep cliff and with Italian drivers! We will spend the next two nights in Positano.