Campania · Salerno
Capaccio Paestum
Three Doric temples of 550 to 450 BC on the Sele plain, with mozzarella di bufala DOP on the buffalo flats below.
- Best time
- May–Sep
- By car
- 51 min from Salerno
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 22,182
Known for
GREEK TEMPLES
Three Doric temples of 550 to 450 BC at Paestum, dedicated to Hera and Athena, UNESCO World Heritage and among the best preserved in the Mediterranean.
MOZZARELLA DI BUFALA
DOP buffalo mozzarella heartland on the Sele plain, with historic caseifici producing the fresh cheese every morning since the eighteenth century.
TOMB OF THE DIVER
Early fifth-century BC painted Greek tomb in the national museum, the only surviving figurative Greek tomb painting of the classical period.
When to visit
Best · May–Sep
- J11°
- F12°
- M13°
- A16°
- M21°
- J26°
- J30°
- A29°
- S25°
- O21°
- N16°
- D12°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 28° and coldest in February at 15°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Capaccio Paestum is the only commune in Italy where the name pairs a medieval hilltown with an ancient city on the plain below. The seat of Capaccio sits on Monte Calpazio, while the archaeological park below, the city of Poseidonia founded around 600 BC, occupies the flat between the Sele river and the sea. The two halves of the name mark two different settlements built centuries apart and never merged into one another.
The layering below Monte Calpazio runs deeper than the founding city and the medieval hilltown: a Roman city followed the earlier one on the same plain, and the medieval Capaccio Vecchia, razed by Frederick II, was rebuilt as the hilltown that still carries the seat today. The buffalo pastures that made the area's DOP mozzarella sit inside the same national park boundary as the Sele plain and the Monte Calpazio spur, so the cheese-making land and the ruins share one stretch of ground. The commune, in effect, is stacked: hill above, plain below, and each layer on the plain built over or beside the one before it.
The Sunday letter
Capaccio Paestum is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Capaccio Paestum comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.
Read on
Capaccio Paestum in our articles
The best towns you can reach by train in the province of Salerno7 towns, Capaccio Paestum among them.
The best coastal towns inside a national park in Campania9 towns, Capaccio Paestum among them.
The best towns with a serious restaurant that you can reach by train in Campania10 towns, Capaccio Paestum among them.
Every town in our catalogue inside a national park151 towns, Capaccio Paestum among them.
How to get there
From Naples / Salerno (NAP), about 1h 34m by car.
Bari / Brindisi (BRI) is about 3h 27m away.
By car from the centre of Salerno 51 minutes, Naples 1h 34m or Bari 3h 30m.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming from Naples?
Coming by train into Salerno? Capaccio Paestum is about 53 minutes away by road.
What to see
Templi di Paestum
The Basilica, the Temple of Hera II and the Temple of Athena stand on the flat ground between the Sele river and the sea, close enough to walk between in an afternoon.
Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Paestum
The frescoes are kept indoors, apart from the temples they were painted near, giving a rare look at how the tomb's painters depicted the afterlife.
Mura greche di Paestum
Almost five kilometres of Greek and Roman defensive walls with four gates, intact across the entire perimeter of the ancient city.
Basilica Paleocristiana Santa Maria del Granato
Mother church of Capaccio Vecchia, the medieval settlement destroyed by Frederick II, with a wooden statue of the Madonna del Granato displayed each May.
Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni National Park
UNESCO Mediterranean Diet biosphere reserve, with the Sele river plain, the Monte Calpazio spur and the buffalo pastures inside its boundary.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Capaccio Paestum fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
We recommend
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Le TrabeRistorante
Le Trabe has one Michelin star, a place in L'Espresso's Top 300 and a Gambero Rosso listing.
Da Nonna SceppaRistorante
Da Nonna Sceppa carries a Gambero Rosso listing, plus a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Osteria ArbusticoRistorante
Osteria Arbustico has two Gambero Rosso forks (82/100) and a place in L'Espresso's Top 300.
Tre OliviRistorante
Tre Olivi holds one Michelin star and two Gambero Rosso forks (83/100).
AliciRistorante
Alici has a place in L'Espresso's Top 300 to its name.
Bistrot 73Bistrot
Two Gambero Rosso tables, at Bistrot 73.
Casa Coloni della Tenuta Duca MariglianoRistorante
Two Gambero Rosso forks (83/100), at Casa Coloni della Tenuta Duca Marigliano.
La PergolaTrattoria
La Pergola carries a Gambero Rosso listing.
Living here
- Population 22,182
- In-betweeni
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Naples / Salerno, 1 h 34 min drive
- Regional capital Napoli, 1 h 34 min drive
Common questions
- What is Capaccio Paestum known for?
- Three Doric temples of 550 to 450 BC on the Sele plain, with mozzarella di bufala DOP on the buffalo flats below.
- Where is Capaccio Paestum?
- Capaccio Paestum is a comune in the province of Salerno, in Campania, at 419 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Capaccio Paestum?
- Naples / Salerno (NAP), about 1h 34m by car.
- Can you get to Capaccio Paestum without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Salerno to Capaccio Paestum?
- About 51 minutes by car.
- When is the best time to visit Capaccio Paestum?
- Best in May–Sep. July is the warmest month, averaging 30 degrees, and December the wettest, with about 16 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Capaccio Paestum?
- Sorrento, Campiglia Marittima and Cerveteri.
- How many people live in Capaccio Paestum?
- 22,182 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 419 m
- Population: 22,182
- Surface area: 113.03 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
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🏛️ UNESCO
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