I have always asked myself what exactly should be the things by which we differ from our ancestral forefathers. Here in southern Italy, centuries of foreign invasions couldn’t erase an underlying, mixed identity. An identity made of Etruscan, Greek and Roman roots, not to mention Osci and Samnites who were here even before all of them. These roots assimilated every foreign conqueror that came along hoping to convert the natives to his own ways. The ruins of times past always left these conquerors wondering, they forced them to pause and – in many instances – think again about their own habits, their ways of life. They soon discovered that, after all, their culture was not that vast and their wonderful new ideas about the world were, in fact, nothing special or new, for that matter.

This unescapable treasure has built up the very aspects of the civilization around here, and it endured. Even when the Greeks were submitted or the roman legions defeated in distant lands – paving the way to the coming of countless barbarian tribes – it endured and stood as a reminder for everyone. A reminder of what ancient civilizations were capable of, and of their inevitable fall nonetheless, be it a decadent or a violent one. The ruins of Paestum, ancient Poseidonia ( in honor of Poseidon, greek god of the sea) are a perfect example of this.

Walking among two thousand years old ruins, amphitheaters, tombs and temples practically  *forces* you to realize that, after all, you can never be too sure about the influence these ancient people’s values and ways have now on your day to day life. Especially when you dig deep in their history only to find that so many things have endured the passing of centuries until now. But i will come back on this topic at a later date. For now, let me leave you with a picture i took on medium format film; it will probably give you a bit of the feeling you get while walking these ancient stone roads.