Craco, a spooky abandoned medieval town in Italy

Craco Italy
It is well known by all that Italy has an important historical and cultural heritage, in addition to hiding some really beautiful landscapes. However, many people are unaware that beyond well-known cities such as Rome, Venice, Florence or Milan, Italy hides some truly spectacular towns. In Vuela Viajes, for example, we have already told you about the most beautiful towns in Tuscany, but today we want to tell you about a place less known by tourists.

We are referring to Craco , a beautiful medieval town that was abandoned around 1975. Would you like to discover it further? We assure you that you will not regret it!

Craco location

The ghost town of Craco is located in the province of Materia, in Basilicata, a region in southern Italy that has historically been known as Lucania . This abandoned medieval city is today a tourist destination, as well as a place where some films have been filmed, such as Mel Gibson’s "The Passion of the Christ", or Marc Foster’s "Quantum of Solace", which is the twenty-second James Bond film. One of its great attractions is undoubtedly its location, as it is located on a steep hill, 400 meters high, in the Cavone Valley.

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The history of Craco

Craco, which was previously known as Graculum or Cracum, has more than 2,500 years of history. Of pre-Romanesque origin, historians believe that it was founded between the 8th and 6th centuries BC, although the truth is that little is known since its history, at least until the 10th century, when the city passed into the hands of Archbishop Arnaldo. say Tricarico. From this moment on, the Basel monks gave a strong boost to the place, repopulating and rebuilding it. Later, Craco would pass into the hands of different kings and nobles of the Middle Ages.

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The causes of abandonment

As we mentioned at the beginning, Craco was abandoned around 1975. In fact, the last inhabitant of the city abandoned it that year. Before this date (from the 50s to the 70s), some seismic movements had destroyed the houses of the place, so its inhabitants were abandoning them little by little. And that throughout its history it had overcome other landslides and numerous epidemics that had wiped out a large part of its population. However, life in this place was unfortunately unsustainable, since the city is located on a hill formed by sand and clay, so any earthquake could destroy it completely.

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Craco attractions

As we have mentioned before, Craco surprises with its location 400 meters high, although tourists who come to this place are also attracted by the bleak panorama that can be seen here. And it is that the town is today a set of streets and houses completely destroyed, although it is intuited what once were some stately homes, old churches or the castle tower. The medieval churches of the town stand out, some of which house important relics. Before saying goodbye and leaving our gallery, we want to tell you that, although many of the corners are covered by brush and have been looted, the truth is that there are some buildings that remain practically intact. In addition, it is important to bear in mind that thanks to the fact that tourism in this place has increased, the funding to preserve the place has also increased.

Then we leave you with our gallery , where you will find more images of the abandoned town of Craco. Do not miss it!

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