The damage created by the landslide to the clay foundation of Craco was worsened by flooding in 1972 and the magnitude-6.9 earthquake in 1980, which devastated large areas of southern Italy.

The town’s 1,800 inhabitants were forced to abandon their homes, leaving Craco completely uninhabited Due to recurring earthquakes and landslides in the mid-twentieth century, the town’s 1,800 ...