Even though the residents of Craco, Italy are long gone, the majesty of this medieval hill town remains. Located in the instep of Italy's boot, the once-thriving village stands atop a 1,300-foot cliff overlooking the river valley below.  Defensively, the town's builders got everything right; but enemy attacks were not the cause of Craco's demise.

In fact, the plucky village survived several occupations, plunderers, and some substantial drama brought on by the Unification of Italy. Then the Black Death arrived in the mid-1600s, taking out hundreds of residents. Yet Craco by and large survived; by 1815, it was even big enough to divide into two districts.