Craco was a living town of 1,800 people until 1963, when a landslide (the hill is unstable clay and sand) forced evacuation. A second landslide in 1972 and the 1980 Irpinia earthquake completed the abandonment. Today Craco stands on its hilltop in the Basilicata badlands (calanchi) exactly as it was left: roofless houses, collapsed churches, a Norman tower still standing at the summit, and the particular atmosphere of a place where human habitation ended within living memory. Film directors love it: Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, the James Bond Quantum of Solace, Francesco Rosi's Christ Stopped at Eboli, and several others used Craco as a location. Guided tours (the only legal way to enter — the site is structurally dangerous) take you through the streets wearing hard hats. Basilicata →
Plan my Basilicata trip →Guided tours only: For safety (falling masonry, unstable ground), entry is permitted only with authorized guides wearing helmets. Book through the Comune di Craco or authorized operators (cracovecchia.it, €10-15/person). Duration: 1-1.5 hours. The guide leads you through the main street, past the roofless church, to the Norman tower at the summit. The atmosphere: Doors open onto empty rooms. Staircases lead to collapsed upper floors. The church (Chiesa Madre) has a surviving bell tower but no roof. The Norman tower (13th century) is the highest point — from here, the Basilicata calanchi spread in every direction, an alien moonscape of eroded clay. The view of Craco from below (from the SS598 road) is the iconic shot — the town perched on its hill with the calanchi behind, looking like a castle that's slowly dissolving into the landscape.
Getting there: car only — on the SS598 between Matera (50min) and the Ionian coast (40min to Metaponto). Book the guided tour ahead — tours run on fixed schedules, especially in summer. Wear: closed shoes (rubble), hat (no shade), water. Hard hats provided. Duration: 1-1.5h tour + 30min for photos from below. Combine with: Matera (50min), Castelmezzano zipline (40min), Metaponto (40min — Greek temples on the Ionian coast), Tursi/Rabatana (30min — Arab quarter borgo).