Craco
Craco Vecchia
A medieval hilltop town abandoned after a 1963 landslide. Its ruined towers and houses have become a popular filming location for many movies.
Craco sits about 40 km southwest of Matera, its old town built along a steep ridge with Norman-era towers rising at the top. Repeated landslides and earthquakes from the 1960s onward led residents to move down to a new town below, and the old town has stood empty ever since. For safety, visitors can only enter wearing a hard hat and following an official guided tour (about 1 hour). Advance booking is required, and ticket prices should be checked with the official operator. The surrounding grey-white clay badlands make for a stark and unusual landscape.
Opening hours
Tour times per official schedule
Nearby sights
- Crypt of Original Sin
- Abbey of San Michele Arcangelo, Montescaglioso
- Tramontano Castle
- Palazzo Lanfranchi
- Convicinio di Sant'Antonio
- Domenico Ridola National Archaeological Museum
- Sasso Caveoso
- Palombaro Lungo