The test sites were selected considering different causes of abandonment (natural and anthropogenic), such as landslides, construction of hydroelectric power plants and socio-political reasons.
In particular, the “ghost towns” that will be investigated are the following:
- Craco, Italy
- Vilarinho da Furna, Portugal;
- Himara, Albania.
The main role is attributed to the old village of Craco, chosen as a test site for the experimentation of some specific actions (see section “Actions”).
Craco, located in an area of socio-cultural and environmental attraction of national importance, was abandoned starting from the 1960s due to the paroxysmal effects of a landslide whose activity can be traced back at least to the beginning of the XIX century. The site is a tourist destination of significant interest and an abandoned village of international significance. In 2010 Craco was included by the World Monuments Fund in the list of monuments to be safeguarded.
Himara, once home to several hundred families, is now home to only a few people. In fact, in 1945, at the dawn of the communist regime, many inhabitants fled persecution and never returned to their homes.
Vilarinho da Furna was a small village in the northeast of the municipality of Terras de Bouro (district of Braga; NW Portugal), included in the Peneda-Gerês National Park. The village was abandoned and submerged in 1972, due to the construction of the Vilarinho das Furnas hydroelectric plant. In spring-summer the site can be visited and access is managed by the local ethnographic museum (Museu Etnográfico de Vilarinho da Furna).
The three “ghost towns” selected as test sites
