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Forbes
18-07-2025
- Forbes
Enjoy The Amalfi Coast Without The Crowds In Cilento
Ancient Greek Temples at Paestum Archaeological UNESCO World Heritage Site getty Roughly 90 minutes south of Naples and the Amalfi coast, is the less visited but equally beautiful Cilento region, a UNESCO World heritage site with sea, sand and ancient Greek temples. Between the Archaeological Park of Paestum and the pine forest-lined beaches of the Mediterranean Sea, The Savoy Hotel & Spa is one of the few hotels in the area, thanks to its location in a protected national park where no other hotels can be built. Pool at The Savoy Hotel & Spa, Cilento, Italy Savoy hotel Just 30 minutes from Salerno airport, the family-owned hotel is a member of Preferred Hotels, the world's largest independent hotel brand, which guarantees a luxury hospitality experience. And because the area is not as well known, it's much less expensive than the Amalfi coast. The hotel was founded in the 1980s by Giuseppe Pagano and the business is now run by the second generation. Next door to the Savoy is the four-star Esplanade Boutique Hotel, also owned by the Pagano family. A suite at Savoy Hotel & Spa, Cilento, Italy Inspired by the area's close ties to ancient Greece, the Savoy hotel's design features a white-washed exterior accented by contemporary columns and a series of lush gardens. The Savoy has such a grand, expansive lobby that you'll feel like you're entering a much larger hotel. Instead, it is actually boutique hotel size, with only 44 rooms, suites and villas. The design palette in the guest rooms has a cool, retro Italian seaside feel with red, green to blue, with wooden furniture and marble. Accommodation ranges in size from Classic Rooms with Italian marble baths and forest views to Terrace Rooms with outdoor space and seating areas and Suites, which offer large baths and covered verandas. Savoy hotel, white terrace for breakfast Gabriele Rivoli The Cilento area is the birthplace of the original Mediterranean Diet, with an emphasis on plant-based foods, healthy fats and seafood. Prominent cardiologist Ancel Keys studied the population's eating habits here in the 1950s and 1960s to understand the secrets of their longevity. The results of these studies generated a global revolution, leading the doctor to describe this way of eating as the "Mediterranean Diet." And this is the focus of everything served at the hotel which has an impressive kitchen garden and beehives. The Pagano family's award-winning San Salvatore 1988 farm and winery nearby also supplies the hotel with products including Buffalo mozzarella, yogurt, olive oil and wine. Tre Olivi Restaurant at the Savoy Hotel, Cilento Savoy Hotel & Spa The hotel's dining options include Bistrot Olivella with a farm-table menu of traditional Cilento dishes. For lunch or dinner, Beach Club 93 Restaurant is bliss. Located a short stroll from the hotel on the beach, the hotel's Mediterranean restaurant serves fresh and raw seafood as well as pizza prepared by the in-house pizza chef. For a really special meal, Michelin- starred Ristorante Tre Olivi is the hotel's gastronomic Mediterranean restaurant. A tribute to the Mediterranean diet and the olive tree, Tre Olivi has been under the helm of German-born Chef Oliver Glowig since 2024. Chef Glowig has lived in Italy for a while with stints at the Grand Hotel Quisisana in Capri with Gualtiero Marchesi and both Capri Palace Hotel & Spa and Hotel Aldrovandi Villa Borghese in Rome. The restaurant offers a fully immersive farm to table experience from the furniture made from olive trees to the scents and tastes of the menu. There is an a la carte menu plus two tasting menus (starting at €160) to choose from served with wines from their own vineyard. Chef Glowig's creations have intriguing, tasty food combinations. Highlights from a recent menu included anchovies with buffalo ricotta; pasta and potatoes with blue lobster and chicken scented with fig leaves and smoked eel. Beach Club 93 at Savoy Hotel & Spa, Cilento, Italy Savoy If you're keen to stay right at the beach, the hotel's Beach Club 93 offers three private beachfront villas, each with a spacious terrace with private pool. And for hotel guests, the beach club is a short stroll from the main hotel or you can take the complimentary shuttle service. The private beach club features a saltwater pool with hydromassage, shaded sun loungers, private gazebos and a beachside bar serving cocktails and meals. The beach itself is wide, sandy and uncrowded. Wellness The spa at the Savoy Hotel, Cilento, Italy Hotel Savoy's beautifully designed spa, a haven below the hotel, has three pools of varying temperatures, a salt cave, an ice room, a Turkish hammam and a sauna. Treatments focus on holistic renewal: massages are enhanced by a signature blend of olive oil and the aroma of white mulberry, so distinctive to Cilento. The Ancient site of Paestum Second Temple of Hera in Paestum, Italy. getty Following an expedition to Paestum in 1787, the German philosopher Johann Wolfgang Goethe said 'those well-preserved ruins can only be understood after seeing them with your own eyes.' And later, Friedrich Nietzsche said 'it's as if a god here had built his house with enormous blocks of stone.' Everyone has heard of Pompeii, the world's best example of a preserved Roman city. Pompeii is about an hour away from Cilento and certainly should be visited but if you're staying in Cilento, an incredible Unesco World Heritage archaeological site is right on the doorstep. Although lesser known than Pompeii, the site of Paestum is even older. Paestum was founded by Greek colonists around the 6th century BCE and known as Poseidonia, later coming under Roman rule. The ruins of Roman amphitheater at Paestum, Italy getty There are Roman remains from a later city at Paestum but the main reason to visit is to see three fully intact Greek temples, among the best preserved in the world, the oldest of which dates to 550 BC. There's a lot to take in so it makes sense to go with a guide like Silvia Braggio who's been giving tours of the entire area since the 1990s. The three Greek temples in the Doric order, one dedicated to Athena, and two to Hera (wife of Zeus), were built 50 years apart dating from 550 to 450 BCE. It's possible to walk inside both of the Hera temples without any restrictions. Detail, the Diver's Tomb. in the museum at Paestum, Italy getty Surrounded by lovely countryside and located near the coast, Paestum also features the National Archaeological Museum, which houses funerary items, pots, etc found in the town, in the nearby necropolises and at the sanctuary dedicated to Hera. Do not miss the museum's thrilling highlight, the Greek 'Tomb of the Diver,' a colorful, painted tomb from 480 BC. Unlike most Greek tombs of the period, which were quite plain, the Tomb of the Diver is decorated with colorful frescoes on the interior walls and lid. There are several scenes of Greek life and an image at one end of an unknown man diving into water is thought to suggest the soul's passage from life into the afterlife. This tomb is the only known example of Greek painting from a tomb of this era. Getting there British Airways has just introduced a seasonal route of three direct flights per week from London Gatwick to Salerno from May (Mon, Thu and Sat) until October. There are also daily flights from London to Naples International Airport (about 90 minutes from Cilento) all year round.
Daily Mail
07-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Guilty Brit returns Pompeii relics stolen by his 'Uncle Bob' more than 50 years ago in latest example of tourists returning artefacts illegally taken from the ancient site
A guilty British man has returned Pompeii relics that were stolen by his 'Uncle Bob' over 50 years ago. Nephew Paul shipped five chunks of plaster from the walls of ancient site back to the Pompeii Archaeological Park alongside an apology note and explanation. Inside the wooden box containing the artefacts, a note read: 'These stones were taken from the site at Pompeii. Illegally by Uncle Bob'. Paul had wrapped the box in bubble wrap to ensure the safety of the stones on their three-hour journey from Bolton to Naples after they had been stored in the attic of his uncle's Manchester home for over five decades. In images shared by the Pompeii Archaeological Site's Facebook page last week, another note can be seen left by Paul with the backstory of how Uncle Bob came to be in possession of the stones. The second note read: 'Hi, I spoke to Sophie Hay about finding pieces of rock found in my great uncle Bob' attic, with a note stating he had stole them from Pompeii in the 70s. As promises, we have returned them back to you. Regards, Paul'. But this is not the first time someone has shipped back their plaster chunks stolen from the ancient site. Grateful for the return, the Pompeii Archaeological Site explained the chilling reasons why many previous visitors decide to return their stolen artefacts. 'Every now and then, packages arrive in Pompeii with stolen artifacts over the years, which visitors then decide to return. Some because they are victims of the so-called "curse of Pompeii", that "bad luck" that can strike those who steal artifacts, which pushes many tourists, after a while, to send back by mail what was taken from the site,' it said on Facebook. Last year a tourist who stole pumice stones from Pompeii returned the artefacts along with a grovelling letter, claiming the pilfered fragments were 'cursed'. The woman sent a package containing three small stones and a letter written in English saying she 'didn't know about the curse' of Pompeii when she stole the artefacts during a holiday in southern Italy. The young tourist, who did not give her name, revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer within a year of her visit to Pompeii in the letter. 'I didn't know about the curse. I didn't know that I should not take any rocks,' the woman wrote. 'Within a year, I got breast cancer. I am a young and healthy female, and doctors said it was "just bad luck".' 'Please accept my apology and these pieces,' the tourist added, before signing off the letter with 'I'm sorry' in Italian. In 2020, a Canadian woman, identified only as Nicole, sent a package containing two mosaic tiles, parts of an amphora and a piece of ceramics she had pilfered from Pompeii to a travel agent in the Italian city. Nicole, who had stolen the artefacts in 2005, said she was returning them after they had given her 15 years of bad luck. She wrote a letter of confession in which she detailed her theft and her subsequent run of misfortune, including two cases of breast cancer and financial hardship. Nicole wrote: 'Please, take them back, they bring bad luck.' She said she took the artefacts because she wanted to own a piece of history that no one else had, but they had 'so much negative energy... linked to that land of destruction'. At the time, she said: 'I am now 36 and had breast cancer twice. The last time ending in a double mastectomy. 'My family and I also had financial problems. We're good people and I don't want to pass this curse on to my family or children.' Her package also contained another letter of confession written by a couple from Canada who stole from the site in 2005. She said they took the artefacts without thinking of those who suffered there thousands of years ago. So many stolen relics have been returned to the site along with letters expressing guilt that officials at Pompeii set up a museum to display them. Some thieves have even tried to sell parts of Pompeii online, with a brick from the ruins appearing on eBay in 2015.
News.com.au
11-05-2025
- General
- News.com.au
New Pompeii discovery reveals the tragic true extent of human suffering
There has been a chilling new Pompeii discovery that has revealed the true horror of the volcanic explosion. For one local Italian family, it was a day just like any other. Food was being prepared in the kitchen. A young boy played in the atrium. The father inspected the progress of his home's renovations. Then, a powerful explosion sent an enormous ash column high into the sky above the idyllic mountain backdrop to their Roman city. Soon, ash clouds and a hail of small pumice stones began raining down and the deadly fallout steadily increased in size and intensity. Many simply grabbed what they could and ran for the coast in the hope of finding a boat. This family, however, chose to stay put, as new findings reveal. The fiery ash and pumice quickly clogged the streets and rose up the walls. Then the weight of volcanic rock caused part of their home's roof to collapse. Four adults and the child retreated into a bedroom. There, they desperately sought to wedge a bed against the door to hold back the growing weight of rubble. 'They didn't make it,' said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii. He's overseeing an extensive new excavation of the city. Pompeii It was a playground for the rich and famous. A scenic sea change for Rome's upwardly mobile and thriving community had grown around it to meet the exacting demands of the empire's elites. The year was 79AD. Emperor Titus Flavius Vespasianus had succeeded his father months earlier. Rome was at its heights of wealth, power and influence. Then, the sudden disappearance of Pompeii and the nearby town of Herculaneum rocked the empire to its core. However, the opulence and technical marvels of the towns they lived in have been flash-frozen in that moment. For the past 250 years, archaeologists have marvelled at the well-preserved architecture, murals, furniture and technology buried there. But the discovery of this family's fight for survival has rammed home the human tragedy it represents. House of sacrifice The address is a medium-sized townhouse (domus) on one of Pompeii's main roads, the Via del Vesuvio. It's been dubbed the House of Phrixus and Helle after the colourful frescoes of the Greek mythological twins found on the walls of its dining room (triclinium). The story of the youths is itself a tragedy. Their minor goddess stepmother had ordered them to be sacrificed to end a drought, but their birth mother sent a winged ram to save them. Helle, however, looked down and fell to her death in the sea below (the Hellespont). Phrixus survived, sacrificed the ram and took its golden fleece. Given the quality and extent of the murals, the domus was almost certainly owned by high-status and socially active members of the Pompeii community. They lived in comfort and opulence. The house's central courtyard (atrium) had a rainwater basin (impluvium). The kitchenware is made of finely shaped bronze and several amphorae hold the remains of a Roman luxury - fermented fish sauce (garum). The sturdy timber bed, however, could not save the family. 'Finally, the pyroclastic flow arrived — a violent wave of scorching ash that filled every room,' Zuchtregel explained. Their desperate bid to survive was revealed when archaeologists poured plaster into a void left by the bed's decomposed timbers in the baked earth. The remains of at least four adults were found nearby. A bronze amulet (bulla) found with a fifth body is of a type worn by male children before they came of age. Two of the victims were found huddled together, backed up against one of the bedroom's opulently painted walls. 'To excavate Pompeii and visit it means confronting the beauty of art but also the fragility of our lives,' Zuchtregel added. Struggle for survival Pompeii is no Atlantis. Details of the tragedy were burnt into history by those who observed and survived the eruption. Seventeen-year-old Pliny the Younger was visiting the town of Misenum, across the Bay of Naples from the eruption, with his family at the time. His letters detailing the exploits of his uncle have survived through the centuries. Pliny the Elder, a naval commander, was killed by noxious pyroclastic fumes as he led an emergency evacuation by sea. Pompeii alone is believed to have been inhabited by about 20,000 people. Most escaped. But archaeologists estimate that about 2000 lingered too long, or decided to ride the disaster out. There were warning signs, but these may not have been understood. The House of Phrixus and Helle is alongside a larger villa dubbed the House of Leda. It's also covered with exotic frescoes - most famously one of the Spartan Queen Leda and the god Zeus disguised as a Swan. Both buildings were being renovated at the time of the eruption. Archaeologists believe this is evidence that the region had been hit by a series of damaging earthquakes in the months before Vesuvius erupted. Now the buildings face a new threat. Their excavation is part of a recent emergency archaeological effort. Moisture is seeping through the volcanic rock from nearby illegal housing developments, which is eating away at the ancient remains. About two-thirds of Pompeii has been excavated. But the race is on to uncover and preserve a buried neighbourhood of some 1070 Roman homes containing about 13,000 rooms while we still can.
New York Times
11-05-2025
- Science
- New York Times
In Their Final Moments, a Pompeii Family Fought to Survive
One day in the year 79, Pompeii came under fire. The explosion of nearby Mount Vesuvius sent a mushroom cloud of ash and rock into the atmosphere, pummeling the ancient Roman trading hub and resort in a ceaseless hail of tiny volcanic rocks. Many residents ran for their lives, trying to find safety with their loved ones before searing volcanic debris buried the estimated 1,500 residents who remained in Pompeii. In a study published last month in the journal Scavi di Pompei, scientists documented events at one home in the doomed city where a family sought refuge inside a back room by pushing a wooden bed against a door in a vain attempt to stop a flood of volcanic rocks from the sky, known as lapilli. The small-but-well-appointed residence is known as the House of Helle and Phrixus, after a richly decorated fresco in the dining room. It depicts the mythological siblings Phrixus and Helle escaping their wicked stepmother on a winged ram only to have Helle fall and, ominously, drown in the sea below. As with many ancient Roman residences, its atrium, an open-roof room centrally located in the home, was used for ventilation and rainwater collection. But on that day, the recess allowed volcanic rock to more rapidly overtake the space. Most Pompeians 'had no clue what was happening,' said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, an author of the study and the director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii. 'Many thought the end of the world had come,' he added. In the years that followed, the hot ash that eventually buried the home solidified and left an imprint that archaeologists filled with plaster to reconstruct the shape of the wooden bed that remained. The technique helps illustrate the horror of the Pompeian dead in their final moments and how perishable everyday items made of wood, textiles and leather were situated in their environments. The skeletal remains of four people, most likely members of the same family, were identified in the study. The lapilli, which reached heights as high as nine feet in some locations, could not be controlled, and researchers believe the people made a final attempt to escape, leaving the small room in which they had barricaded themselves. They got only as far as the triclinium, the formal dining room where their remains were found. 'The family in the House of Helle and Phrixus probably died when the so-called pyroclastic flow, an avalanche of hot ash and toxic gas, arrived and parts of the building collapsed,' Dr. Zuchtriegel said. He and his colleagues suggest that the remains of the four people found in the home were from a family that stayed behind and may have included some enslaved members who worked at the residence. Still, archaeologists don't know for sure if they lived there or simply took refuge after the homeowners had already escaped. 'It's not certain that the individuals found in the house as victims were part of the family,' said Marcello Mogetta, an associate professor of Roman art and archaeology at the University of Missouri who was not involved in the study. Among the skeletal remains was a bronze bulla that belonged to a child. The ancient amulets were worn like lockets around the necks of young free boys to shield them from danger until they reached adulthood. 'The amulet was supposed to protect them, so there's a cruel irony to the fact that it didn't,' said Caitie Barrett, a professor of archaeology at Cornell University who was not involved in the study. Bourbon explorers sent by Charles III in the 18th century carried out rudimentary excavations of Pompeii that disturbed the skeletal remains of the victims found in the House of Helle and Phrixus. When they tunneled into the residence in search of valuables like jewelry and artwork, they left behind holes in the walls. These early excavators often had little interest in human remains, either in respecting their preservation, dignifying their deaths or studying their material culture. But today it's the human toll that feels most prominent for archaeologists and for many of the visitors who regularly pour into Pompeii. Whether or not the remains belonged to those who were indeed family will be something that researchers may try to uncover through DNA analysis in the near future. Family or not, it doesn't change the human tragedy of the story. 'Whatever the nature of their specific relations, they would have been the last people to offer each other comfort at the end,' Dr. Barrett said.
