Italian ghost towns

Everyone knows about Pompeii - a perfectly preserved Roman city, buried for many centuries during the eruption of Vesuvius. But on the territory of Italy there are other, less well-known ghost towns left by people after major natural disasters. From simple artist communities to perfect movie sets, these settlements are truly magnificent in their grim grandeur.

(Total 15 photos)

Romagnano al Monte

1. Recent addition to the list of Italian ghost towns. Romagnano al Monte was a small village in Salerno that was destroyed by an earthquake in 1980.

2. The earthquake then claimed 3,000 lives. The survivors chose to relocate rather than rebuild their old homes. They moved several kilometers to a safer region, and at the same time, part of the settlement remained undestroyed.

3. In the 2000s, this place became a tourist attraction. Despite the fact that this ghost village is only 30 years old, and here and there such signs of modernity as electrical wiring (or rather, what is left of it), Romagnano al Monte already looks like medieval ruins.

kracko

4. Several factors have turned this medieval town nestled at the foot of the hills into a ghost town.

5. For example, war, landslides and earthquakes. This town is located on the rise of the Italian "boot" (on the map), in the province of Matera. It was founded in 540 AD. Despite the long history of the city, in the period from 1892 to 1922. most of its inhabitants moved to other regions of Italy or even to America.

6. A landslide in 1963 drove away the remaining 1,800 residents. The ghost town that remained after them has become a lure for tourists and scenery for many films. Scenes from Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, 007: Quantum of Solace and Save Grace were filmed here.

Balestrino

7. The ancient town in Savona (North-West Italy) was abandoned - it immediately becomes clear at the first glance at the empty streets and houses.

8. However, very little information is known about the city itself - when it was founded or why people moved from here. It is believed that the earthquake that hit the coast at the end of the 19th century became the reason for this.

9. In 1887, for example, there was an earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale. However, if you want to see the city in an abandoned state, hurry up, because recently the Italian authorities decided to revive it.

Bussana Vecchia

10. The same earthquake that shook Balestrino also hit this beautiful town. As a result, more than 2,000 people who lived here died.

11. In general, this was the first earthquake measured by a seismograph created by the Italian Filippo Secchi. The old village was abandoned, and the inhabitants moved to New Bussana.

12. Since the 1950s. people began to live here illegally, and in the 1960s. artists founded their community on the territory of the town.

Despite repeated attempts by the government to evict them, the Society of International Artists remains in the city to this day. They live off the money they receive from selling their work to tourists.

Pentedattilo

13. This town in the Calambria region (southern Italy) was founded by the Greeks in 640 BC. In 1793 there was a catastrophic earthquake.

14. The earthquake was so terrible that the residents moved to the nearby town of Melito Porto Salvo. The city rises above the Ionian Sea and looks like an open-air museum, because its former inhabitants were forced to abandon their homes and belongings.

15. The city was empty until in the 60s. did not attract the attention of volunteers who are ready to revive it. Pentedattilo is currently hosting a film festival and is full of artists seeking inspiration from its ruins.