Craco, the Town That Slid Away
A medieval hilltop town in southern Italy was abandoned as the ground began to slide away beneath it.
What was reported
Craco, perched on a steep hill in Basilicata, dates back about a thousand years, with a Norman tower rising above its stone houses. In 1963 a landslide, probably made worse by building and drainage work, forced most people to leave; a flood in 1972 and an earthquake in 1980 finished the job.
The empty town has since become a film location, used in The Passion of the Christ and Quantum of Solace.
Explanations offered
The hill is made of clay and sand that shift when wet, a common problem in the region. Craco can now be visited on guided tours, with helmets.
- When
- Abandoned from 1963
- Where
- Craco, Basilicata, Italy
- Witnesses
- Former residents and film crews
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.