Haseltine, a Philadelphian, trained in Europe between 1856 and 1858. He first visited the south of Italy in 1858, and returned to Europe in 1866, eventually settling in Rome.
The ancient city of Paestum, founded as Poseidonia or the city of Neptune by the Greeks, about 600 BC, was laid waste in the 11th century. During the 19th century, it began to attract tourists who came to marvel at its three, remarkably extant temples.