Remains of the Golden Gate discovered in Paestum. Zuchtriegel: A broader enhancement project should be launched.

Yesterday morning, during public works on the power line, remains of the pavement and local limestone blocks of one of the two pillars on which the arch of the gate rested were discovered in the Paestum Archaeological Park near Porta Aurea, the northern entrance to the ancient city.

Following the discovery, archaeologists from the Superintendency decided to carry out in-depth archaeological investigations to find out more about this portion of Paestum’s walls, hitherto unknown except from images dating back to the 19th century.

This discovery corroborates the work of research, restoration and enhancement of the city walls that the Paestum and Velia Archaeological Park is carrying out as part of the PON projects, with the investment of about six million euros aimed at the redevelopment and modernization of the archaeological area.

“The discovery testifies that even the realization of public works, constitutes an important opportunity not only for the protection of the archaeological heritage but also for its knowledge. In agreement with the Park Management, a project is being developed to enhance the northern access of the ancient city,” said Francesca Casule, Superintendent of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Salerno and Avellino.

“For about a year now,” added director Gabriel Zuchtriegel, “we have been working intensively along the walls of Paestum, one of the best-preserved defensive complexes in ancient Italy, about 5 km long. The cleaning and restoration work on the western section of the walls has led us to discover a Doric temple in a peripheral area of the ancient city. Now is the time to unite all the pieces in a larger project for the enhancement of the ancient city that also involves other territorial institutions, first of all the Superintendence and the Municipality, but also colleagues from the University of Salerno who have been carrying out a research project on the fortifications of Paestum for some time.”

In addition, the municipal administration of Capaccio-Paestum confirmed its commitment to return Paestum’s amphitheater to the community by promoting an excavation project and the reorganization of the road system around the walls.

Remains of the Golden Gate discovered in Paestum. Zuchtriegel: A broader enhancement project should be launched.

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