How a 1,300-foot-high Italian hill town with roots in the 8th century BC was abandoned, then found a second life in James Bond’s 'Quantum of Solace'

High above the rugged landscape of Basilicata in southern Italy, a cluster of stone buildings still clings to a hilltop, overlooking the pale ridges and gullies of the surrounding Calanchi. There are churches, palaces, narrow lanes and an imposing medieval tower, but almost none of the sounds that once belonged here.

This is Craco, one of Italy's best-known ghost towns. Its origins stretch back more than two millennia, yet its transformation into an abandoned settlement is largely a 20th-century story. A town that had survived for generations gradually emptied as geological instability made life increasingly dangerous. Today, its ruins have found an unexpected afterlife as a heritage site and cinematic backdrop, including for the 2008 James Bond film Quantum of Solace.

Craco sits in Basilicata's province of Matera, amid deeply eroded clay landscapes that give this part of southern Italy its distinctive, almost lunar appearance.


The town's earliest history reaches back to antiquity. Archaeological evidence, including a necropolis dating to the 8th century BC, points to an ancient settlement on the ridge. Architectural Digest describes Craco as having been founded in the 8th century BCE, with Greeks moving inland from the coast, possibly seeking refuge from malaria in the plains below.

Centuries later, the settlement took on the form that survives today. During the Middle Ages, Craco became a fortified community. Its elevated position offered an expansive view over the surrounding countryside, while the Norman tower served as part of the settlement's defensive and monitoring system. Churches, palaces and tightly packed homes eventually transformed the rocky ridge into a substantial hilltop town.

For generations, the height that makes Craco so dramatic to photograph was an asset. Eventually, it became part of the problem.

Before the ghost town, there was a thriving community

Craco's decline did not begin with the dramatic evacuation of the 1960s. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, economic hardship and poor agricultural conditions were already pushing residents away. Between roughly 1890 and 1920, more than 1,300 people from Craco emigrated to North America, contributing to a wider pattern of migration from southern Italy.

Signs of trouble appeared decades before the final evacuation. A landslide was documented in 1931, and another major episode followed in the 1950s. Research records an exceptional rainfall event in 1959 that reactivated an old landslide, damaging buildings and infrastructure.

Geological investigations subsequently identified both natural processes and human interventions, including problems associated with water and sanitation infrastructure, as factors in the instability.

Then came 1963. Craco had nearly 2,000 residents when a major landslide severely affected the town. Buildings were damaged, and the authorities began the process of moving residents away from the historic centre.

It was not an overnight evacuation. Residents were progressively transferred to safer ground in the valley, particularly the newly developed settlement of Craco Peschiera. A 1964 geological assessment concluded that stabilising the historic settlement was not considered feasible and recommended relocating the population.

Then came another disaster

Some residents continued living in Craco even after the major relocation began. But the town's problems were not finished. A major flood in 1972 further damaged the settlement and made the possibility of returning the historic centre to normal life even less realistic.

The final chapter arrived with the 1980 Irpinia earthquake, one of the most destructive earthquakes in modern Italian history. By then, Craco had already been largely emptied, but the earthquake further damaged the fragile historic centre. The remaining residents left, completing a process that had begun almost two decades earlier. Academic research describes the relocation as taking place progressively between the mid-1960s and 1980.

That is why Craco's abandonment is associated with several different dates. It was not one sudden disappearance. It was a slow unravelling.

Hollywood discovered what the residents left behind

Craco's emptiness eventually became an asset. Its combination of ancient architecture, deserted streets and dramatic landscape attracted filmmakers. The town has appeared in productions including Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, but its most recognisable modern connection is 2008's Quantum of Solace.

For Hollywood, Craco offered something difficult to manufacture: an authentic abandoned medieval landscape. For the town itself, it was an unexpected reversal of fortune.

The ruins are now part of Basilicata's heritage and tourism landscape, but Craco remains a fragile place. Its geological instability and deteriorating structures mean the old settlement cannot simply be treated like an ordinary village.

Guided visits have been developed to allow people to experience the historic centre while limiting the risks associated with entering the ruins. The site's geological significance has also made it an important subject for researchers studying landslides, heritage conservation and the reuse of abandoned settlements.

In 2010, Historic Center of Craco was included in the World Monuments Watch, highlighting the need to safeguard the vulnerable historic site.