Craco is one of those Italian ghost towns that you have heard of. Since the abandoned town has emerged as one of the most sought-after locations for historical films, there is a good chance that you have also seen it.
The comune and ghost town of Craco can be found in the province of Matera in the Basilicata region of southern Italy.
Craco has become a popular filming location and tourist attraction as a result of its abandonment.
More recently, scenes from the Italian movie adaptation of “Christ Stopped at Eboli” were shot in Craco, earning it fame as a film set. Additionally, Christ made it to Craco in time for the production of Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ.
Dage – Looking For Europe, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Craco was first settled by Greeks in the sixth century AD, but tombs from the eighth century BC indicate that it had a previous existence.
The fortunes of the town and the surrounding area fluctuated. It experienced the upheaval of Italian unification in the nineteenth century and witnessed a son exodus to the New World by the twentieth century.
Dage – Looking For Europe, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
It was a demonstration of God, in any case, that ended up being Craco’s last fixing.In the years following World War II, Craco was deemed uninhabitable due to its perilous hilltop location, a series of violent earthquakes, and landslides.
Craco was completely abandoned in 1980 after almost all of its inhabitants were relocated to a new settlement in a nearby valley in 1963.
Photo Credit: Luca Traversa, Flickr
Craco is no longer open to the public and is overgrown, ransacked, and abandoned today; however, a guided tour is available.
Even though the town is in ruins, some buildings, like palaces and churches, still have their original features, like shutters, railings, and frescoes, as if they were still there when they were built.On a different note, tourists, travelers, and occasionally film crews visit the village.
