The park itself encompasses an area of nearly 67 acres in total. With it being so large, our group split off and explored the vast archeaelogical park at our own pace. It's truly astounding that humans were able to produce such fantastic architectural feats with nothing more than simple hand tools and a basic understanding of mathematics and physics, yet were able to create something that has stood the rest of time for over 2000 years. Simply put, it was completely mind-blowing. One of the most unique aspects of the self-guided walking tour was that you were able to climb onto areas of some of the ruins and be amazed at the sheer scale of the temples and the massiveness of the large columns.
From ancient temples, houses, altars to even swimming pools, it was truly astounding. After touring the site, Mr. Klecker, Ms. Dwyer and I all discussed that we could not believe Paestum was not on our itinerary and that it's not a destination that EF typically includes as part of their group trips.
After the amazing experience at Paestum, our group headed to our next destination: Barlotti Paestum. Barlotti is a buffalo mozzarella farm in Paestum. We got a guided tour of the farm and many of our group members were excited that we were able to see cows! The animal lovers in our group were absolutely thrilled they could pet the cows. Our Barlotti guide gave us an overview of the milking process and then led us away from the mature milk-producong cows to the baby calves. This is where some of our group members lost their minds due to the overload of cuteness. One of the calves knew that it was her time to shine by mooing non-stop as each group member walked past. Another calf was smiling as everyone walked past. It was hysterical!
After we met all the cows, we headed inside for a cheese tasting. Our cheese tasting consisted of fresh ricotta, mozzarella, smoked mozzarella, and fresh baked bread and bruschetta. A few of us, actually just me, even tried the buffalo milk gelato and it was different in taste and texture than the countless other types of gelato I had throughout our Italian travels, but it was really good.
After our time in Paestum, we headed back to our hotel in Salerno and got a few hours of free time where we explored the sights and sounds of Salerno's City Center. From a street market along the beach, a trip to McDonald's, walking up and down the pedestrian promenade stopping at a wide variety of shops, bakeries, book stores, to a quick stop back at the hotel, and then another opportunity to venture out to see the renowned lights of Salerno, it was an incredible day.
Our last stop of the day was dinner where we enjoyed a three course meal of salad, pasta, and tiramisu to end a long, fun-filled day!
More to come!
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