August Nights in Campania Let You Experience the Ancient Greek and Roman Worlds

| Tue, 08/11/2015 - 10:30
Paestum at night

Enter the archeological site of Paestum at night and wait for the first rays of sun to shine their light on the temples, the forum, the amphitheater. It’s an unusual and fascinating way to see the ancient archeological site, an experience you can try this August.

The event is part of the “Grand Tour Campania by Night” and includes a guided visit of the site narrated by an “aedo”, the storyteller in Greek culture, beginning at 4:45 am and ending at 6:30 am. Through a technology that reproduces sounds in 3D, participants will feel as if they are completely immersed in the ancient world of Paestum, getting to know its people and stories - without the crowds and the heat of the day.

Paestum was a major ancient Greek city on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea in what was then Magna Graecia (today the province of Salerno in Campania). The Romans, who would later conquer it, gave the city its current name. Particularly notable are the three Greek temples, some of the most well-preserved ancient Greek temples in the world.

And if sunrise is not your thing, you can still enjoy the ancient world when you head to the seaside villa of Minori, on the Amalfi Coast, one more option offered by the Campania Grand Tour program of events this summer.

Within the splendid backdrop of an ancient Roman villa from the 1st century, you can watch “Imperium”, a play that tells a tragic story of love, betrayal and conspiracies, taking place in 79 AD, when Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae and Oplonti were about to be buried by the eruption of Vesuvius.

The next Paestum events take place on Saturday 22 and 29 August (it’s a bit of a shame that the event is not offered on Saturday the 15th, Ferragosto).

The Villa of Minori event takes place on Saturday 22 and 29 August and Saturday September 5, starting at 8:45 pm.  

A reservation is required for both events; tickets can be purchased online here