The city of Parmenides with the Porta Rosa
On a hill above the coast of the Cilento, near Ascea, lie the ruins of Elea, later called Velia by the Romans, founded around 540 BC by Greeks from Phocaea in Asia Minor fleeing the Persians. The city was famous in antiquity as the home of the Eleatic school of philosophy, founded by Parmenides and continued by Zeno, author of the paradoxes of Achilles and the tortoise, which profoundly influenced Western thought. It was also known for its medical school.
The archaeological park, part of the UNESCO site of the Cilento, extends from the lower town, with baths and houses, up to the acropolis, crowned by a medieval tower. Its most famous monument is the Porta Rosa, from the fourth century BC: one of the oldest known examples of a round arch in Greek architecture, which joined two districts of the city over a deep valley. Along the way you walk on stretches of the ancient paved street among olive trees and wild herbs.
Tip: the site is rarely crowded; combine it with a swim at the beaches of Marina di Ascea and a visit to the nearby village of Castelnuovo Cilento.
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