Craco (Cracum o Graculum (in Latin) is a municipality in the Basilicata, in the province of Matera.
Craco is also known as the ghost town, due to a mass exodus in the 1960s. However, its uninhabited historic centre has made it famous, turning it into a tourist destination as well as the setting for numerous films.
Where is it?
Craco, situated in the central-western part of the province of Matera, is situated at a slight elevation: it lies 390 metres above sea level in a hilly area leading up to the Lucanian Apennines. It is therefore situated roughly halfway between the sea and the mountains.
The landscape around this village is varied, but visitors can mainly admire the splendid badlands: deep gullies carved out by rainwater as it flows down into the valley, on chalky ground.
History
Based on the oldest remains found (namely the 8th-century BC tombs), it is thought that a number of Greek settlers from Metaponto took refuge here. It is believed that they were fleeing malaria and therefore sought refuge in the hills, choosing Craco in particular.
The town subsequently became a fairly prosperous agricultural centre, thanks to Byzantine rule. It was the Italo-Byzantine monks who provided this impetus, encouraging urban development.
The first recorded mention of the town’s name dates from 1060, when the area came under the authority of Archbishop Arnaldo di Tricarico, who named the area Graculum, that is to say, a small ploughed field.
The Middle Ages
The first lord of Craco, between 1154 and 1168, was Erberto – who was likely of Norman origin. It is precisely to this period that the layout of the old village can be attributed. The houses perched on the hillside surround the tower in the centre.
The town was an important strategic military centre during the reign of Frederick II; it is no coincidence that the tower overlooks the valley of the Cavone and Agri rivers, the route taken by anyone seeking to penetrate the interior. This very tower, together with other fortifications such as Petrolla, served as a protective barrier for wealthy (and “tempting”) towns such as Pandosia and Lagaria. Both lie on the other side of the River Agri and face the Siritide region.
It was not just a military town: Craco also experienced significant growth in the academic sphere. In 1276, it became the seat of a university.
In the 15th century, the town expanded around the four palaces:
- Palazzo Maronna, situated near the tower, with a beautiful, imposing brick entrance and a large terraced balcony.
- Palazzo Grossi, near the Mother Church. It is characterised by a tall portal with an architrave, without any cornices. The upper storeys are covered by ribbed vaults and decorated with floral or landscape motifs set within medallions. Some of the windows and balconies still have wrought-iron railings.
- Palazzo Carbone, dating from the late 15th century, with its monumental entrance, which was renovated and extended in the early 18th century.
- Simonetti Palace.
Modern Age
Craco was a fief of the Sanseverino di Bisignano: They held the lordship, with jurisdiction over civil, criminal and mixed cases, as well as the port duties and the office responsible for weights and measures.
Subsequently, in 1605, it was sold off to replenish the coffers, presumably to Bernardino Pacello who, in turn, sold it on 5 March 1627 to Scipione Putignano which left him in his inheritance to his daughter Veronica.
In 1642, she too sales, through a female attorney, for the sum of 13,500 ducats, and the estate of Craco met with an ironic fate. It passed from Don Camillo Cattaneo, Marquis of Montescaglioso, to the Prince of Cetrano. It nevertheless returned to Veronica, who, in 1652, Veronica Putignano, She married Dr Don Angelo Latronico and obtained an annulment of the sale.
Upon his father’s death in 1664, his underage son Nicolò went ahead with the sale due to the family’s financial difficulties. He received a payment of 15,000 ducats, to be paid in instalments, from Carlo Vergara, a wealthy man residing in Naples. This time, the attempt to annul the sale proved fruitless.
From Naples, the Vergara family (later Vergara Caffarelli) moved to the fiefdom, introducing a number of improvements (notably the development of agriculture and the market, and a reduction in taxes). In 1712, they were conferred the title of Duke and retained the fief until the abolition of feudalism in 1806, whilst retaining their noble title.
Revolutionary movements and banditry
In 1799, Innocenzo De Cesare returned from Naples, where he had been studying, and took the reins of the “rural bourgeoisie” movement – a revolutionary movement within the Neapolitan Republic driven by the aim of dismantling the feudal relationships that characterised agriculture at the time. The entire region was gripped by uprisings and unrest, culminating in a defeat, washed in blood, to Palazzo Carbone.
Craco, too, was affected by this phenomenon, which manifested itself with particular intensity during the Napoleonic decade. Hordes of brigands led by their chieftains (such as Domenico “Rizzo” Taccone, Nicola “Pagnotta” Abalsamo and Gerardo “Scarola” Vota), and backed in part by the exiled Bourbon government, attacked the town in July 1807, venting their anger and frustration by mercilessly killing pro-French dignitaries.
In November alone, amidst the turmoil of the post-unification Bourbon reaction, the bandit army led by Carmine Crocco and José Borjes set its sights on Craco, having previously sacked and occupied Salandra.
Crocco later recounted that they met
Halfway along the road, a procession of women and children, led by the curate Colla Croce. They had come to ask for clemency for their village, and clemency was granted, for there were only minor disturbances – which were difficult to avoid with such a large crowd, and all the more so with people of that sort.
Conversely, other accounts describe the unrest in Craco as not being so insignificant. Indeed, Borges appears to have noted:
We gathered our troops […] then set off for Cracca (Craco), where we arrived at three o’clock in the evening: the entire population came out to meet us; and despite this, there was no small amount of disorder.
Also Giuseppe Bourelly, A soldier in the Royal Army who took part in the crackdown on banditry in the Lucania region spoke about that day (when the bands left the village and set off for Aliano):
Meanwhile, Major Cappa of the 50th Line Regiment, having been informed that Borjés and his band were threatening to invade Miglionico, Grassano and Grottole, gathered all the troops that were ready in Altamura and set off for Miglionico. From there, he went to Pisticci and from there proceeded to Craco, which he found ransacked and in utter disarray.
Among the many insurgents, one man of letters stood out: “Cappuccino”. He was from Crachese Giuseppe Padovano, a former Bourbon soldier who had gone into hiding.
He was given this nickname because, in his youth, he used to visit the monastery in Crachi to study. And it was precisely his studies that revealed that certain “something” which made him stand out amongst the many illiterate people of the time.
Abandonment and the designation as a “ghost town”
In 1963, a massive landslide changed the fate of Craco. The evacuation went ahead, with many residents being taken down to the valley, to the area known as “Craco Peschiera”. At that time, the town had a population of almost 2,000.
To think that this landslide appears to have been caused by human activity, stemming from infrastructure works – including sewers and water mains – carried out to serve the city itself.
In the In 1972, Cracò was also hit by a flood, which prevented any potential repopulation of the historic centre. The final blow came in 1980, as a result of an earthquake.
Given the high risk of earthquakes in the area and to prevent any further movement of the landslide, a number of sensors which, to date, have indicated that conditions are stable.
In fact, Craco has remained intact, becoming a ghost town. In the 2010 It has even been included in the monuments to be preserved, drawn up by the World Monuments Fund.
As part of a plan to revitalise the village, In 2011, the local council set up a guided tour, creating a specially designed, safe route that runs along the town’s main street, leading to the old main square, which had subsided as a result of the landslide.
The following year, the new route was opened, allowing visitors to explore the heart of old Craco.
Monuments and places of interest
Arches inside the Mother Church of St Nicholas
Many tourists make their way up to Craco to see the ruins of the ghost town and to explore its narrow streets and the surrounding area. The clayey, barren soil coexists with marl: the tower stands on a spur of marl calcified by time, which the people of Craco refer to as the “castle”. Centuries-old olive trees intermingled with ancient cypresses line the side of the village towards Scalo, the latter situated on the Calabrian-Lucanian railway line, which has been dismantled and abandoned on this side.
The districts
- “Songbook”: It takes its name from an old tavern situated along a sheep track that was once very busy. Legend has it that the tavern was run by a charming woman who ensnared her unsuspecting victims, seduced by her beauty: the enchantress would kill them and pickle them in vinegar, making them the star dish of her tavern.
- “San Lorenzo”: an ancient vaulted fountain, on the road towards Cavone, where tall palm trees stand alongside olive trees against a backdrop of farmhouses – perched high yet open to the surrounding countryside – such as “Galante” and “Cammarota”, with their two-storey layout, the arches supporting the external staircase and the terraces that resemble ramparts defending against attacks that were by no means unlikely.
- “Saint Eligius”: In Craco, the patron saint of farriers is honoured in a way that goes beyond a mere topographical reference, with its frescoed chapel – possibly dating from the sixteenth century – depicting scenes of saints gathered around a Christ who, though crucified, remains the Pantocrator.
Culture
Cinema
A place so steeped in history and beauty has not gone unnoticed. First and foremost, Mel Gibson’s epic film must be mentioned The Passion of Christ (2004): this was the setting for the scene in which Judas was hanged, followed by another significant film, not least because it was an adaptation of a seminal work of Italian literature: the novel of the same name Christ Stopped at Eboli (1979) by Francesco Rosi. The scene depicting Carlo Levi’s arrival at his new place of internal exile, Gagliano, was filmed in Craco (to make the scene even more faithful to the book, mourning banners were hung on the first houses in Craco; these can still be seen today).
Other films shot in Craco
- 1953: *La lupa* by Alberto Lattuada
- 1974: The Beginning, by Luigi Di Gianni
- 1985: *King David* by Bruce Beresford
- 1986: Oh my goodness, we’ve missed Robert M. Young’s *The Pope*
- 1990: *The Sun Even at Night* by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani
- 1996: *Ninfa plebea* by Lina Wertmüller
- 1999: *Terra bruciata* by Fabio Segatori
- 2006: *Nativity*, directed by Catherine Hardwicke
- 2008: *Quantum of Solace* by Marc Forster
- 2010: Basilicata Coast to Coast by Rocco Papaleo
- 2012: *A Country Doctor* by Luigi Di Gianni
- 2015: *Montedoro* by Antonello Faretta
Television
- Classe di Ferro: some scenes from Bruno Corbucci’s TV series were filmed in the city
- O Rei do Gado: a Brazilian soap opera by Luiz Fernando Carvalho
- Pepsi advert, aimed at the Japanese market.
Music
The composer Hauschka has composed a piece entitled Craco, featured on the album Abandoned City (2014).
