Paestum, before is was given its name in Latin, was an important Greek colony founded in the 7th century B.C. by the Sybarites who gave it the name Poseidonia.
The National Archaeological Museum and the archaeological park make up an extraordinary ensemble, exhibiting and preserving monuments and objects of art, as well as archaeological remains attesting to the life and habits of the time.
Over the centuries, with the passage of the peoples of Lucania and Latium, ex-Poseidonia embodied some of the most beautiful aspects and traditions that this ancient civilization could express. The Doric temples, especially to Neptune (Poseidone) and Cerere, are extraordinary for their beauty and perfection.