Craco, Southern Italy, an ancient village in Basilicata, abandoned after a landslide in the 1960s.
The town has been the movie set for scenes from Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ, James Bond 007 Quantum of Solace, a handful of other Italian films, and commercials including a Pepsi commercial that was filmed just earlier this year.
Craco is located on a hill 390 meters above sea level. It sits on top of a cliff and gullies that characterize the hilly area of the Lucanian Apennines, and is surrounded by the Calanchi Lucani.
The town is characterized by spontaneous architecture with cut-out craft in stone and brick. The stone houses are intertwined around the castle which overlooks the entire village from the top of the cliff. In the surrounding area, tombs of the 8th century B.C. have been found, though the first historical evidence of the medieval village dates back to the 11th century A.D. In the Middle Ages, under the Norman rule, the ancient town grew in importance and became a cultural and military center under the reign of Frederick II.
Craco was permanently evacuated in 1963 when a landslide affected the safety of the entire medieval village. The abandonment of the old houses transformed the area into a ghost town now often used as a film set for historical films.
Craco is easily reachable from the main cities by car; it is also a very liked destination from bikers. We indicate two routes. From Salerno Reggio Calabria highway, take the Sicignano exit (PZ) and then the direction Potenza, then take the S.S. 407 Basentana direction Metaponto, exit at the junction of Pisticci, and follow the signs to Craco. From S.S. 106 Jonica (Taranto-Reggio Calabria) exit Metaponto (MT) and take the S.S. 407 Basentana direction Potenza, then exit at the junction of Pisticci, and follow the signs to Craco.
