Discover Foce Del Sele

Foce Del Sele combines a distinctive river landscape with ancient culture. At the mouth of the Sele, dunes and pine belts stretch along the coast, while the Heraion and the Santuario di Hera offer insights into a cultural landscape shaped over thousands of years. Those looking for a holiday apartment in Foce Del Sele can combine nature observation, walks and archaeology into different ideas for each day.

Dunes, pines and protected river landscape

The protected area encompasses the dune and pine belts on both sides of the mouth of the Sele. The Foce Sele-Tanagro nature reserve extends along the coast and the pine forest behind it in the municipalities of Capaccio-Paestum and Eboli, as well as along the Sele, Tanagro and Calore rivers. Its protection system includes four Special Areas of Conservation (ZSC) and two Special Protection Areas (ZPS). They help protect rare and endangered plant and animal species.

This gives the destination a distinct landscape character: here, the Sele is not merely a river, but part of a larger interplay of water, dunes, forest and archaeological evidence. When planning your trip, you can therefore choose between nature experiences and cultural sites or combine both themes.

Exploring the Sele: path, garden and orientation

The visitor trail “Il tempio al confine – Hera e il paesaggio del Sele” at the Santuario di Hera at the mouth of the Sele introduces visitors to the relationship between the sanctuary, the river landscape and the memory of the cult of Hera. The trail follows a bend in the Sele along paths guided by wooden posts and ropes. The focus is therefore not solely on the destination, but also on the landscape through which the trail passes.

At the Sanctuary of Hera, there are information panels, tactile maps and new rest areas. Plants documented at the ancient sanctuary grow in the Giardino di Hera. These include pomegranate trees, oaks, myrtle, lavender and rosemary. Those travelling with different interests can therefore plan their visit as a combination of archaeological discovery, plant life and the trail experience.

Since December 2025, the archaeological area and the Giardino di Hera have been open for visits on Saturdays at 11 a.m., at 10 a.m. from May to August, and on Sundays at 3 p.m., at 5 p.m. from May to August. The visits are accompanied by trained volunteers from the parks’ civil service. Entry is possible only with a mandatory reservation and is included in the admission price for the Archaeological Parks of Paestum and Velia and in the Paestum&Velia pass. You should take these requirements into account when planning your day.

The Heraion and its exceptional sculptural works

The Heraion at the mouth of the Sele is an ancient sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Hera. Its cult buildings span the period from the founding of the Greek colony of Poseidonia around 600 BC to the founding of the Latin colony in 273 BC. This makes it possible to trace a long historical development at this site without losing sight of the landscape.

The Heraion contains an exceptional early series of sculpted metopes, dated to approximately 570 to 560 BC. A later metope cycle is dated to the end of the 6th century BC and depicts pairs of dancers in the Ionic style. At the Museo narrante di Hera Argiva, the content is conveyed through films, three-dimensional reconstructions, video installations, sound effects and explanatory panels. This provides an additional way in for visitors who want to learn about historical connections not only through individual architectural elements.

Visiting days and choosing accommodation

From 3 May 2026, a free shuttle bus will connect the archaeological site of Paestum with the Santuario di Hera on the Sele every Sunday, subject to a mandatory reservation. For an excursion combining Paestum and Foce Del Sele, this reservation is therefore just as much a part of the planning as the visiting times at the Sanctuary of Hera.

When looking for a holiday apartment or holiday home in Foce Del Sele, you can first decide which travel idea should take centre stage: walks through the landscape, the plants of the Giardino di Hera, the history of the Heraion or a combination with Paestum. This allows you to match your choice of accommodation to your preferred daily itinerary without reducing Foce Del Sele to just one attraction. It is precisely the alternation between protected nature, the river mouth and ancient culture that makes this place a versatile destination for an individually planned trip.

To the higher-level travel overview: Capaccio.