Italy's abandoned towns are among its most extraordinary places — frozen in the moment they were left. Here is the complete guide.
Plan my Italy trip →Italy has dozens of abandoned or near-abandoned towns — emptied by earthquake, landslide, economic migration, deliberate state relocation, or simple demographic collapse. Some are completely inaccessible; some are organized tourist sites; some are accessible ghost landscapes with no visitor infrastructure. Here is the complete honest guide to the most extraordinary.
Craco (Matera province, Basilicata — the definitive Italian ghost town): 1963 landslide evacuation of 1,800 inhabitants; James Bond Quantum of Solace (2008) and Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ (2004) location; guided visits only from Craco Peschiera (€12, the PROLOCO association organizes daily tours). The specific appeal: the Norman tower (13th century), the abandoned church, and 8 centuries of domestic architecture standing exactly as it was left in 1963 — the personal effects visible through broken windows, the 1960s Fiat in the collapsed garage, the specific archaeology of recent abandonment. Consonno (Lecco province, Lombardy — the strangest ghost town in Italy): In 1962, the industrial magnate Mario Bagno purchased the medieval village of Consonno (then inhabited by approximately 200 people, all of whom were bought out and relocated) and demolished the entire village to build an entertainment complex — a hotel, a nightclub, a shopping center, an ice rink, and a minaret for aesthetic decoration. The "Country of Toys" (Paese dei Balocchi, Consonno's official name during the Bagno period) attracted visitors from Milan until a 1976 road landslide cut off the access road, leaving the tourist infrastructure completely isolated. The entertainment facilities were abandoned immediately; the structures have been decaying since. Access: the repaired road now allows access; the abandoned hotel, the concrete minaret, and the specific surrealism of a 1960s tourist complex in the Lecco hills are freely accessible. No facilities, no organized visits. Roscigno Vecchia (Salerno province, Campania — the most intact ghost town): Roscigno Vecchia was gradually abandoned between 1902 and 1902 as the hillside clay substrate progressively collapsed — the last inhabitant, Giuseppe Spagnuolo, remained in the village until his death in 2010 at age 79, continuing to tend his fields and maintain a single inhabited house among the ruins. The specific quality: because the abandonment was slow and the last resident maintained the village, Roscigno Vecchia is extraordinarily intact — the church, the communal washing basin (lavatoio), the bakery, and the domestic structures are all standing and accessible. Free access from the road below. Bussana Vecchia (Imperia, Liguria — the earthquake ruin turned artists' commune): Destroyed by the 1887 Ligurian earthquake (the same event that destroyed significant sections of Nice and Monaco), Bussana Vecchia was abandoned and a new village was built 2km away. From the 1960s, Italian and international artists (primarily painters and sculptors) occupied the earthquake ruins without legal permission and established a specific bohemian community — the Comune Internazionale d'Artisti. Today, the community of approximately 50 artists maintains galleries, studios, and a ceramic tradition in the ruins, with the specific aesthetic of art made in an earthquake ruin. Free access; the artists sell work directly.
Italy has approximately 5,000 comuni with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants — and approximately 2,000 entirely or substantially abandoned settlements — more than any other western European country. The specific Italian demographic pattern: the southern Italian internal migration of the 1950s-1970s (the largest internal migration in post-war European history — approximately 4 million southerners moved from rural Campania, Calabria, Basilicata, Sicily, and Sardinia to the industrial cities of Milan, Turin, and Genova between 1955 and 1975) emptied the smaller communities first, as young people left and the remaining elderly population aged without replacement. The seismic compounding factor: Italy's specific seismic geography (the Apennine chain is one of the most seismically active areas in Europe) produced the specific pattern of earthquake abandonment — communities that had survived centuries of natural disaster found their population had already shrunk too far to justify the investment of rebuilding after the decisive earthquake (the 1908 Messina earthquake, the 1968 Belice earthquake, the 1980 Irpinia earthquake, the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake each produced specific permanently abandoned communities in addition to the rebuilt towns). The third factor: the post-WWII Italian urbanization pattern was faster and more complete than in France, Spain, or Portugal — the specific combination of southern Italy's agricultural economy (which provided no competitive income against industrial wages), the Italian compulsory military service system (which exposed young men from every Italian region to urban life and made return to agricultural villages psychologically difficult), and the specific social prestige attached to northern urban employment created a self-reinforcing abandonment cycle in the Italian south and mountain communities that produced more ghost towns than any comparable country.
Twelve genuinely extraordinary Italian experiences outside the standard tourist circuit: (1) The Frasassi Caves (Genga, Marche): the largest cave complex open to the public in Italy — the Sala della Bora chamber (180m wide, 200m long, 100m high) is large enough to contain Milan's Duomo cathedral with room to spare. The 1.5km guided circuit (€15, 1h30) through the stalactite and stalagmite formations gives the most dramatic underground experience in Italy. Only 300,000 visitors per year vs 4 million at Pompeii. (2) The Trabocchi Coast (Chieti, Abruzzo): the Adriatic coast road between Francavilla al Mare and Vasto with the specific trabocchi — the wooden fishing platforms on stilts extending 20-30m over the sea, traditional Abruzzese fishing structures converted to seafront restaurants where you eat above the Adriatic water. The Via Verde dei Trabocchi (the 42km coastal cycling path connecting the trabocchi) is the finest Italian coastal cycling trail. (3) The Gole del Raganello (Civita, Calabria): the most spectacular canyon in the Pollino National Park — guided rafting and canyon hiking through a 600m-deep gorge accessible from the Arbëreshë village of Civita (see the Calabria small towns guide). (4) The Alberese horse riders (Grosseto, Tuscany): the Parco Regionale della Maremma cattle drive — the butteri (the Maremma cowboys, the only surviving cattle driver tradition in continental Europe) ride the Maremma coast marshes with the longhorn Maremmana cattle each Saturday morning. Organized observation from horseback is available through the park administration. (5) The Infiorata di Spello (Spello, Umbria — Corpus Christi, June): the streets of the Umbrian hill town of Spello are carpeted in flower petal patterns 15cm deep, covering the entire historic center — a flower carpet tradition (the infiorata) dating to the 18th century, in which the entire town community participates in the creation of designs that take 6-8 hours to complete and are then processed over by the Corpus Christi procession within 2 hours. The visual quality at dawn (before the procession), when the designs are complete and the streets undisturbed, is the finest single aesthetic event in Umbria. (6) The Sassi di Matera night walk (Matera, Basilicata): the Sassi viewed from the Murgia Timone viewpoint at 10pm, when the cave city is illuminated by its street lighting and the cave windows glow — the most extraordinary urban nightscape in Italy. Free, 15-minute drive from Matera center. (7) The Carnevale di Ivrea (Ivrea, Piedmont — January/February): the most violent carnival in Italy — the Battle of the Oranges (in which the entire town divides into teams and throws oranges at each other from carts and on foot for 3 days) commemorates a specific medieval rebellion against the local tyrant. 900,000 oranges are thrown annually. (8) The Cetara colatura di alici (Cetara, Campania): the oldest liquid fish sauce in continuous production in Europe — the colatura (the amber liquid pressed from anchovies salted in wooden barrels for 3-4 years, the direct descendant of the Roman garum) is produced only in Cetara (a village on the Amalfi Coast road between Salerno and Amalfi) and available directly from the Delfino store (Via Umberto I 39, €12-18 per 100ml bottle). (9) The Lago di Pilato (Sibillini Mountains, Marche/Umbria — 2-hour hike from Forca di Presta): the only naturally occurring lake in the central Apennines (2,270m altitude, surrounded by snow until July, inhabited by Chirocephalus marchesonii — a small crustacean found nowhere else in the world) — and according to medieval legend, where Pontius Pilate's body was thrown into the water, which is why the lake turns red at certain times of year (actually the Chirocephalus, which reddens in mating season). (10) The Notte delle Lanterne (Opi, Abruzzo — August): the Opi mountain village in the Gran Sasso National Park illuminates the entire medieval center with oil lanterns for one August evening — the oldest light festival in Italy (documented since the 17th century) and the most atmospheric mountain village event in the Apennines. (11) The Santuario di Oropa (Biella, Piedmont): the most visited Marian sanctuary in northern Italy — a complex of 19th-century Baroque basilica, medieval sanctuary, and Alpine landscape at 1,159m altitude in the Biella Prealps; the specific atmosphere of a high-altitude pilgrimage destination where Italian Alpine religious culture is most concentratedly visible. (12) The Stromboli volcano night cruise (Stromboli, Aeolian Islands): observing Stromboli's 15-minute eruption cycle from the sea at 10pm — lava bombs arcing over the crater visible from the boat. €30-40 from Stromboli port.
Twelve travel mistakes in Italy with specific solutions: (1) Booking hotels in the historic center of Florence in August: August in Florence is 38-40°C, very crowded, many restaurants closed (the Florentines leave for the coast). Stay in May-June or September-October. If you must go in August, book accommodation with air conditioning (not guaranteed in medieval palazzi — specifically ask) and schedule museums for morning. (2) Assuming Trenitalia is the only train option: Italo operates the high-speed network on the same routes (Milan-Florence-Rome-Naples) at comparable prices, often cheaper for advance booking. Check both ntv.it (Italo) and trenitalia.com before buying. (3) Renting a car for Rome, Florence, and Venice: cars are a liability in all three city centers — the ZTL (restricted traffic zones) fine will arrive 6-8 weeks later to your home address through the rental company's €40-80 administration fee plus the fine itself. Rent a car only for the rural Tuscany-Umbria-Basilicata portions of your trip. (4) Buying water from tourist restaurants near monuments: a 500ml water bottle at the Vatican costs €3-4. The same bottle at a supermarket (Conad, Carrefour, Esselunga) costs €0.20-0.30. Italy's tap water is excellent everywhere except parts of Sicily and some southern Italian rural systems. (5) Queuing for the Colosseum without pre-booking: the Colosseum in July-August has a queue of 2-3 hours for same-day tickets. Book on coopculture.it at least 3-7 days ahead; the 8am slot gives the morning light and the smallest crowd. (6) Confusing Chianti with Chianti Classico: the most expensive item on an Italian wine list labeled "Chianti" is not the same as a mid-range Chianti Classico. The Gallo Nero (Black Rooster) on the label is the indicator of the historic zone. (7) Using taxis when Uber Black exists: Uber Black operates in Rome, Milan, and Florence — the same comfort as a taxi, the same regulated price (Uber Black in Italy is not surge-priced and uses the same tariff as official taxis), with the booking confirmation and driver tracking that street hailing doesn't provide. (8) Eating at the restaurant with the English-language photo menu nearest the attraction: the proximity to monuments is perfectly correlated with price and inversely correlated with quality. Walk 10 minutes in any direction from the Colosseum/Piazza Navona/Duomo and prices drop by 40%; walk 15 minutes and you find the neighborhood restaurants where Romans/Florentines/Venetians actually eat. (9) Visiting Pompeii without water in July-August: the Pompeii site has minimal shade; the temperature on the basalt streets at midday in August is genuinely dangerous. Visit at 9am (the site opens at 9am; crowds arrive at 11am), carry 1.5 liters of water, wear a sun hat. (10) Thinking Venice is expensive for accommodation: Venice proper (the island) has accommodation at every price point, including well-run hostels (the Generator Venice on Giudecca, the Anda Venice — both accessible by vaporetto). The mainland (Mestre, 10 minutes by train) has hotel prices 50% lower. (11) Not validating train tickets on regional services: Trenitalia regional train tickets (the non-AV services that don't have a specific seat booking) must be validated in the platform machines before boarding — a €50 fine if the ticket inspector finds an unvalidated ticket, regardless of having paid. (12) Assuming Italian restaurants open for lunch from 12pm: most serious Italian restaurants open for lunch from 12:30pm and stop seating at 2:30pm; dinner from 7:30pm (not 6pm). Arriving at 6:30pm to "eat early" will find the restaurant closed. The few restaurants open at 6pm are serving tourists, not Italians.
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