We arrived with the sun, there was a thick fog through the valleys. The air had a cold bite to it but we could already feel it was going to be hot. We had slept in our car in some fields a few kilometers away from the site a little unsure of where we were or how exactly to get to Craco but as we drove we rounded another sharp turn and there it was sitting atop the hillside. This ancient ghost town, in the middle of predominantly uninhabited farmland, in a seemingly forgotten part of the world.
We parked across the road and approached. It was fenced off, not knowing how to enter or if we were even permitted to do so, we did the only logical seeming thing we could do, we climbed the fence, scaled the hill and debris and entered. It was mind blowing. The fact something like this still existed, still in tact and with not another person in sight as far as we could see.
We sat in rooms dating back farther than either of could even fathom and watched the sun rise over the country side before continuing our exploration. We took our time knowing there was almost no chance we would ever be back in this part of the world and when we were done we walked back out to the car and left without seeing another human for the entire duration.
Footnote: We were aware we were somewhere we probably should not have been, as a result of this we were extra careful, we didn’t touch anything or step anywhere that looked in anyway fragile. We have a lust for seeing these things but also want them preserved for future generations.
