Craco

Craco stands on a clay ridge with a Norman tower on the summit, and the ground beneath it has been moving for decades: landslides worsened after infrastructure works in the 1960s, and the population was evacuated to a new settlement in the valley through the 1960s and 1970s, with the last residents leaving after further movement and a 1980 earthquake. The empty town remains, streets and shells intact but unstable, and it is entered only on guided tours wearing helmets along a fixed route. It has been used as a location for a number of films, and the surrounding badlands add to the effect.

History

Tombs from the 8th century BC have been found here, around 540 BC Greeks from the coastal town of Metaponto moved inland to the area, and the town's name is recorded from 1060 AD. From 1154 to 1168 a nobleman, Eberto, probably a Norman, held the first feudal control, and the town was abandoned after the Irpinia earthquake of 1980 (Wikipedia, Craco).

What's there

• The empty streets - a town intact but uninhabited since the 1970s.
• The Norman tower - a keep on the ridge above the shells.
• The guided route - a fixed path through stabilised sections in helmets.
• The badlands - eroded clay hills surrounding the ridge.

When to go

April to October; tours are cancelled in rain and wind for safety. Summer heat on the exposed ridge is heavy. Booking is needed outside peak months.

Practical notes

Entry is only on a booked guided tour with a helmet, on a fixed route; free wandering is prohibited. Tours are cancelled in bad weather. The site is genuinely unstable.

Nearby

Matera lies north; the Ionian coast is southeast.

Key facts