Endangered Monuments

Italy's Ghost Town
Craco, Italy, was once a thriving village built along a steep hill in the southern province of Matera. But in the 1950s, portions of the town — which had been inhabited since at least the 8th century, and possibly earlier — were damaged by a series of earthquakes. In 1963, following a massive landslide, Craco's 1,800 residents abandoned the village for a nearby valley, leaving behind a ghost town of desolate buildings. Craco's earthquakes abated in the 1970s, but its residents never returned. The empty but beautiful village has become a favorite of Hollywood location scouts; numerous movies have been filmed there, including The Passion of the Christ.

• Top 10 Things You Didn't Know About National Parks