Italy 1943–1945
Temples and museum of Paestum
Archaeological site
The story
The three great Greek temples were on the edge of the 36th Division's beachhead. Both sides treated them as off limits, and Allied medics set up aid stations nearby. Walking among 2,500-year-old columns where shells were landing in 1943 is one of the most striking contrasts of the whole trip.
What to look for
See the Temple of Neptune and the Basilica, then the museum's painted Tomb of the Diver. Look west to the landing beaches 1 km away.
Plan your visit
Daily 08:30–19:30, last entry 18:30 · €15 (Mar–Nov), €10 (Dec–Feb), reductions for young visitors · check before you go
- Price
- €15 adults Mar–Nov, €10 Dec–Feb; under-18s free; free 1st Sunday of month. Valid 3 days
- Booking
- Not required
Checked September 2026 from official sources: parchipaestumvelia.cultura.gov.it. Things change, so check before you travel.
Nearby sites
- US 36th Division monument, Paestum beach · 1 km
- Sele–Calore corridor, near Ponte Barizzo · 12 km
- Altavilla Silentina and Hill 424 · 16 km
- Salerno War Cemetery, Bivio Pratole (Montecorvino Pugliano) · 24 km
- Museo dello Sbarco e Salerno Capitale, Salerno · 30 km
- Galleria Borbonica air-raid shelter, Naples · 79 km
All 96 sites in Italy 1943–1945 →
Into Europe: Italy 1943–1945
A free field guide for your phone: the route, the maps and the stories built in, even with no signal. The places of the Allied campaign in Italy, from the Sicily landings of July 1943 through Salerno, the Winter Line, Ortona, Cassino and Anzio, Rome, the Gothic Line and the final battles on the Senio and the Po in April 1945.
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