Capo Colonna National Archaeological Park

National Archaeological Park of Capo Colonna is located ten kilometers to the south of the city of Crotone, on the promontory where stood the great Heraion Lakinion, one of the most important places of worship of ancient Mediterranean. Park includes 30 acres of land used in excavations and 20 hectares used in the forest and maquis. A long avenue leads to the first archaeological evidence: the walls of the sixth century BC, reinforced later by Romans in opus reticulatum; therefore, Via Sacra, more than eight meters wide and discovered in 1987; and the area of Sanctuary of Hera Lacinia, protected from large curtain wall reinforced by towers. On the north side is katagogion, hotel for pilgrims with a peristyle with stuccoed columns and Doric capitals of the fifth century BC; the same period, hestiatorion, building for banquets, on the south side of the track. The temple is located on the east side and is the pride of the Park: Doric with rectangular plant (6x19 columns), dates back to the fifth century BC. Today, of that majestic building is only a single column with stylobate and a Doric powerful base, 8.5 meters high. The area outside the complex housed the lodgings of the priests, Roman balneum and Roman villa (third century AC). All artifacts found during excavations in Archaeological Park are divided among the different museums of the city.