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Craco Vecchia

Craco Vecchia Historic Settlement

Abandoned hill town, 1963 landslide exodus, film set ruin, clay badlands pedestal.

Photograph · Craco Vecchia

At a glance

Craco Vecchia Historic Settlement facts that matter

Names, makers, dates, and context before the story opens up.

Italian nameCraco Vecchia
What it isDistrict
WhereCraco, Basilicata
Known forAbandoned hill town, 1963 landslide exodus, film set ruin, clay badlands pedestal

The story

What you're looking at

Craco Vecchia is the protected historic abandoned settlement of Craco, separate from the present municipality and newer settlement. Ministry records document a 2015 public-interest declaration tied to landscape value, soil instability and building vulnerability. The historic report first documents Cracum in 1060. This foundation avoids treating the settlement as a spectacle and excludes live route, access and safety claims.

Verified details

Each statement below is linked to the record or institution that supports it.

Craco Vecchia is the historic abandoned settlement of Craco, distinct from the present municipality and its newer settlement. The Ministry's historic report explicitly distinguishes the old settlement from the new settlement on the road toward Pisticci.1

With Decree no. 12 of 24 February 2015, published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale on 20 March 2015, Craco Vecchia was declared of notable public interest. The Ministry links the protection need to the landscape context, soil instability and vulnerability of historic buildings to inappropriate intervention.2,3

The Ministry's historic report says that Cracum is first documented in 1060 among possessions of Archbishop Arnaldo of Tricarico. It also describes a tenth-century Byzantine reoccupation as part of its historical interpretation; that latter framing should remain attributed to the report rather than be treated as a complete foundation account.1

The Ministry's abandoned-heritage register lists Craco Vecchia as publicly owned by the Comune, under express protection with D.M. 24 February 2015, and in poor conservation condition. This is a register statement, not a current safety assessment.4

Sources and citations (4)
  1. Ministero della Cultura, BasilicataCraco: Relazione storicaOld/new settlement distinctionRead source
  2. Ministero della Cultura, BasilicataDichiarazione di notevole interesse pubblico dell'abitato vecchio di CracoDeclaration decreeRead source
  3. Ministero della Cultura, BasilicataProposta dichiarazione di notevole interesse pubblico dell'abitato vecchio di CracoProtection rationaleRead source
  4. Direzione Generale Archeologia, Belle Arti e PaesaggioAbitato di Craco VecchiaOwnership, protection and condition fieldsRead source

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