Templi Greci di Paestum Admission Ticket

Visit: Archaeological Park of Paestum, 84047 Paestum, Capaccio-Paestum Italy

The temple of Hera, the so-called Basilica, is the oldest of the three large buildings. It belongs to the first generation of large stone temples and was begun in about 560 BC.

It is the only Greek temple dating to a period of crucial importance to the formation of Greek architecture to have been preserved in such good condition.

The pediments are missing and the layout is not the standard one; the inner part is divided by a row of central columns, as was customary in ancient works of architecture built of wood. This aspect meant that its function remained unclear for a considerable time and it is known as the “Basilica” to this day even though it has been demonstrated that it was a cult building. Archaeological finds and inscriptions suggest that it may have been the temple of Apollo, the deity who also appears on the metopes of the Heraion on the river Sele.

In June 2016 an experimental itinerary was created which removed the architectural barriers, enabling all visitors to enter the temple.