Paestum. Admire the imposing Doric columns from the inside, thus being able to appreciate, from an unusual perspective, the temples of Paestum. Those majestic sacred buildings of the southern sanctuary of the Paestum site which, in ancient times, were inaccessible to men, are once again open to the public.
Tomorrow evening, Sunday 17 July, the visit route in the temple of Neptune and the temple of Hera, the so-called 'Basilica', will be inaugurated in the archaeological area of Paestum, as part of the extraordinary openings of the Archaeological Park of Paestum and Velia promoted by the Ministry of Culture. Behind this reopening is the work of archaeologists, architects and restorers who have collaborated to ensure a perfect combination of the needs of enjoyment and protection of the heritage.
The two temples had already been made accessible to the public, the 'Basilica' in 2017 and the temple of Neptune in 2019, thanks to the creation of barrier-free paths promoted by the previous director of the Park. Then, due to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, access was prohibited from the beginning of March 2020. Before reopening to the public, AGI, with the guidance of the director of the Park Tiziana D'Angelo, visited the paths.
“It is an important moment for us, a moment that marks the reopening of the Park, also following the pandemic,” D'Angelo underlines to AGI, recalling that “we have worked hard with archaeologists, restorers and architects in order to guarantee, once again, public access to these spectacular temples” and, now, “our visitors will be able to walk among the Doric columns and live a truly unique and extremely exciting experience”.
Particular attention was paid to the safety of the public and the protection of the monuments. “We have created a path – he explains – that can be followed in complete safety inside the temple of Neptune. From some steps, you access the eastern front of the temple. In 2019, restoration work was carried out on the flooring in such a way as to make the path safer and more accessible.
So, we can walk along the Doric columns”. But, he warns: “You don’t enter the cell, it’s a sacred space”. Walking a few dozen meters south inside the Park, you enter the 'Basilica', the temple most likely dedicated to Hera and which is “even older than the temple of Neptune, we are still in the sixth century BC”, D’Angelo specifies. This too will be visitable from the inside starting from Sunday evening and “the peculiarity is that it will be accessible without any architectural barriers.
It will be possible to access and walk around the internal perimeter of the temple on a walkway that also allows wheelchair access”. In fact, in the 'Basilica', the use of a reversible wooden walkway has been restored, allowing barrier-free access and connecting the parts of the temple's flooring that are not preserved. Since the beginning of spring and with the easing of anti-Covid measures, the Archaeological Park of Paestum and Velia has started to record significant numbers again.
“There is also a recovery in the flow of visitors, both Italian and foreign visitors,” confirms the director according to whom “it is a very important signal that shows us the desire that people have to return to experience art and culture and, in our case in particular, to rediscover a past, a completely different world”.
“We started to see – he analyses – strong improvements since April, from the Easter period, and now this virtuous trend is continuing also in the summer season and we hope that it will continuously improve”. At the Park, there are many different initiatives planned “to combine different forms of culture and to link our archaeological offer with art shows, poetry readings, stargazing and concerts, tying the past to music and contemporary art”.
“We have a full calendar of events, also taking advantage of the ministerial enhancement plan that allows us to keep the wonderful archaeological sites of Paestum and Velia open even during the evening with suggestive scenarios”, concludes D'Angelo.
EDITORIAL TEAM
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