Magna Greca

    Southern Italy was a colony of ancient Greece in the 4th century BC. The exports of grain, olives and wine contributed to the wealth of Athens. The native people were called the Lacanians. They were a friendly people that seemed to get along with everyone. They had some interactions with the Etruscans who lived in what is now Tuscany. There was some intermarriage and some exchange of ideas, including similar burial rituals. When the Greeks arrived there was also peaceful interaction. The best preserved Greek ruins outside Athens exist in Paestum, located on the west coast of Italy, south of Salerno. Another important settlement existed at Aschea, further south.  Here they found remnants of the first theater and first medical school in Italy. The Romans destroyed the Greek colonies and the Lacanian settlements. Paestum fell in 332 BC.
     The area is still known for its agricultural produce, especially olives. It is amazing how this mountainous land is so well cultivated. Most of these small towns were only connected by the sea. Most roads were finally built after WWII. The towns themselves were originally built on mountaintops because they were more easily defended from the Saracens who started invading around the 8th century. Signal towers were built up and down the coast to warn of incoming ships. Some of these were restored and turned into houses others remain in ruins. If you buy one you may not tear it down. You must restore it.