Amphitheatre of Paestum
Only the western half of this Roman amphitheatre stands above ground. The eastern portion disappeared in 1930 when a road was cut straight through the site — an act of civic vandalism so egregious that, by local account, it ended in the engineer's trial and conviction. What remains is a clean arc of stone, quiet and a little lopsided, sitting to the northeast of the forum.
Built around 50 BC, the amphitheatre was made for gladiatorial combat and venationes — staged hunts in which wild animals were released into the arena. A later outer ring, added toward the end of the first century AD, tells you the crowds grew.
💛 What travellers fall for
The best view comes from outside the fence, where the road sits slightly higher than the arena floor and lets you read the whole surviving arc at once. The entrance tunnel into the arena is still intact — worth a look for the shift in scale it gives you, from narrow stone passage to open sky.
The story behind Amphitheatre of Paestum
The amphitheatre dates to around 50 BC, built in the standard Roman pattern to serve the colony that Paestum had by then become. Gladiatorial games and animal hunts — venationes — were its purpose, and the structure was expanded sometime before the end of the first century AD, when an outer ring was added to accommodate larger crowds.
The site survived two thousand years before a 1930 road project did what centuries had not: the eastern half was buried under tarmac, and the towers and a northern gate were damaged in the process. The western section, preserved by chance rather than plan, is what you see today.
Good to know
The amphitheatre is included in the standard Paestum Archaeological Park ticket (€12 March–November, €6 December–February), valid three days and covering Velia too. First Sunday of each month is free. Park opens 8:30 am; closes 5 pm in winter, 7:30 pm in summer. Closed 25 December and 1 January.
Southern Campania summers are hot and dry — the exposed arena offers little shade by mid-morning, so an early arrival in July and August makes the visit more comfortable. Spring and autumn bring mild temperatures that suit a longer, slower walk around the site.
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What travellers say about Amphitheatre of Paestum
🏛In my opinion a little bit too expensive. The price is the same as the one in Pompei with the difference that Pomepi is 4 times bigger and it takes more to visit and much more details to look at. However the site is of an inestimable importance and its absolultly worth it to visit. 📍The valley of Paestum is special to me for a mix of reasons ( the morphology- food - weather - history- traditions) The If you like sunsets and history you can here combine that if you visit it on a sunny and clear day. 🌅
Not a huge amphitheater, plus it’s partially destroyed due to typical modern man paving a road right through the middle of it, but still very well preserved, and you can visualize what it must’ve looked like back in the day.
Interesting site on way between the two temple complexes
To the east of the Italic Temple is a small Anfiteatro or Roman Amphiteater. Central element of Roman Paestum, the amphitheater was built around 50 BC to towards the end of the 1st century AD. An external ring has been added to increase its capacity. Only the southern half of theater is still visible. In 1930, Highway 18 was built across the site, burying the northern half. The road was designed to pass by the ruins in order to provide the experience of seeing the ruins up close, but without thinking about what was still hidden. It is said by local inhabitants that the civil engineer responsible was tried, convicted and received a prison sentence for what was described as wanton destruction of a historic site.
Currently it's closed so you can only see it from the street
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