16/07/2026
That’s me on the main street of Craco, Basilicata.
Those walls look solid, but Craco has been uninhabitable since the landslide of 1963. That red helmet is mandatory—the rocks move.
Craco is one of the most filmed ghost towns in the world. You can see it in Quantum of Solace and the Passion of the Christ. But what draws me here isn’t the fallen walls—it’s the story of the Crachesi, the people of Craco. Long before the walls tumbled, they were going over the sea to New York, escaping the terrible poverty in Italy’s South. The Crachesi helped build America, and they took their culture with them.
Joe Rinaldi, the president of the Craco Society, spent his first years in a house up the street behind me. His family moved over the sea, but they took Craco with them. In his own words:
“inside our home, Craco lived on. In spring we celebrated Easter with roasted lamb and homemade taralli. In summer my father planted tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, cicorie, parsley, and basil.. In the fall we made w**e. At Christmas, seafood filled our table on Christmas Eve, followed by savory zeppole and sweet chestnut-filled pastries... Through these rituals, my parents ensured that although we had left Craco physically, Craco never left us.”
for more about Craco, see link in bio.
Did your family come over the sea? Tell me a little of their story!
The Craco Society Page
