“To visit a ghost town” has always been on the top of my bucket list. How fascinating and strange in the same time must be walking down desert streets and stepping in vacant houses that were once full of life and laughter? Since I don’t like to leave questions unanswered we took the car and drove through Basilicata, one of the poorest and less populated regions of Italy. Our destination was Craco, an abandoned town in the heart of the Lucanina badlands.
Craco was built on the top of a very unstable (gelogically speaking) hill. This lead to many landslides during the centuries, but the locals were very attached to their town and didn’t want to live it until they were forced. First by the famine at the end of XIX century which caused a mass migration to North America and then by a severe landslide in 1962 that made necessary the evacuation of the remaining population to the valley.
Since then the medieval Craco is a ghost town in a state of crumbling decay. Due to many thefts and safety concerns the town is now under lock and key and it is only possible to visit it with a guide. It costs only 11 usd or 16 usd for an English speaking guide ( for more info check Craco’s official page).
Tip: if go by car make sure to have your fuel tank full. We didin’t see any gas stations along the way.
Have you ever been to a ghost town?
Looks eerily beautiful..some lovely pictures 🙂
For a first time visit to a ghost town I was very impressed ..
Thanks for following me back
My pleasure!
beautiful