Paestum

Pre-dating Pompeii and Herculaneum before it, Paestum is a real jewel among the amazing archaeological remains of the Campania region. Its series of temples and peristyles rarely fails to draw a gasp, while its wealth of mosaic art and mural work open a window onto the legendary age of Magna Graecia – the Greek corner of southern Italy.

A trio of great temples is what tops the bill. They start with the hulking Temple of Hera from 550 BC and its ring of colossal Doric columns and unearthed sacrificial altar. The Second Temple of Hera takes over from that. It's a little younger but is among the best-preserved Greek shrines in all of Italy. Then comes the Temple of Athena, topped with carved pillars and elaborate limestone filigrees.

Paestum tour guides can also reveal the remains of a Roman Forum in the middle of it all. That's peppered with its own shrines from the era of the Republic (200 BC), with inscriptions dedicated to Juno and Jupiter. Keep wandering to happen upon a crumbling amphitheatre, terracotta factories and a series of painted tombs. They culminate with the so-called Tomb of the Diver – look for its striking murals in the adjoining museum.