Temples of Paestum

The Tomb of the Diver in Paestum was found on June 3, 1968, in what used to be known as Magna Graecia, and today is part of the province of Salerno.
The terrific discovery was the reward of archaeologist Mario Napoli’s hard work, which led him to the five travertine slabs closed up into a sepulcher. Although a huge number of finds had already turned up in this area of Campania, this one was special: the inner side of the stone slabs was daubed and painted.

Archaeologists from the whole world were fired up. Painting is the least known form of Green art because – although some works were described and celebrated by writers and poets – almost all of the materials on which artists created their works have completely deteriorated over time.

Thus, that spring day, Napoli was astounded to find this incredibly rare gem from Magna Graecia’s Classical Age, a work of art influenced by Etruscan culture, dating between 480 and 470 BC.

On the sides, it features scenes from a symposium attended by ephebes, athletes, and people with garlands, lying down on triclinia. On the top slab, of course, there is the young diver that, in Napoli’s words, “extends towards the infinity of the horizon […], towards otherworldly life, and the hereafter”.

Itinerary

Most of the country, including all coastal areas, enjoys a so-called Mediterranean climate, almost identical to much of California. Summers are hot and dry with a 7-month period of near-constant sunshine generally from April until November.

Day 1 – Arrive in Athens

The most pleasant weather occurs in May-June and September-October. The warmest time of the year starts in mid-July and generally lasts until mid-August, when the annual meltémi winds from the north cool the country. Mid-July to mid-August is the height of summer, and the midday sun tends to get very strong; during this time, most Greeks avoid heavy physical activity outdoors between 1:00 and 5:00 PM.

Day 2 – Full Day Athens Tour

Summer evenings tend to be very rewarding. As strong as the sun may get on a summer afternoon, the low levels of atmospheric humidity in most areas of the country prevent the air from trapping much heat, and temperatures tend to dip to very pleasant levels in the evenings. But even during midday, high temperatures actually tend to be quite comfortable as long as the time is not spent doing a lot of walking or other physical activity.

Day 3 – Fly to Corfu

While the Mediterranean climate characterizes most of the country, there are two other climate systems that are present. One is the cool Alpine climate which is found on mountainous areas of the country’s interior, including many high-altitude valleys. Another system is the Continental climate found on the interiors of north-central and northeastern Greece, and gives those areas very cold winters and warm, relatively humid summers.

Day 4 – Fly Back Home

Athens’ Elefthérios Venizélos International Airport located near the Athens suburb of Spáta is the country’s largest, busiest airport and main hub, handling over 15 million passengers annually as of 2006. Other major international airports in terms of passenger traffic are, in order of passengers served per year, Heraklion (Nikos Kazantzákis Int’l), Thessaloniki (Makedonia Int’l), Rhodes (Diagóras), and Corfu (Ioánnis Kapodístrias).

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