Beware the ghost towns
and the roads less travelled
The adventurous spirit
I have always had a penchant for decay, the mysteries of an empty building, the stories the crumbling walls are holding in. The desire to find some hidden 'treasure'. Italy is a huge swath of tiny villages stacked high on mountain tops so it is no surprise that a number of these towns have been abandoned either due to economics or disaster.
Many of the towns have become tourist attractions and it is easy to find a list of destinations through google - with some even appearing on trip adviser!
As part of our trip this year was to include Calabria - described as the one of the least traversed regions - I was eager to include a trip to a ghost town to sate my appetite for the unusual and off the beaten track.
My partner is however the ever present leveller in our journeys to my mindless optimism. Thinking of the practicalities and dangers. Making the very reasonable link between abandoned and potential questionable road conditions. Where as I am - 'its shows a road on the map so it must be ok!' and 'you tube has recent videos of people visiting so it must be reachable'
Choose your destination wisely
There are three abandoned towns close to where we were travelling that I identified through my research.
1 Papaglionti Vecchia
2 Roghudi Vecchio
3 Pentedattilo
The first one closest to Pizzo was Papaglionto Vecchia. We were spending three days and as the weather was a little cloudy we decided to have a roam and venture out there. It was only a 40 minute drive and we set off with high expectations (well at least I did). The journey went well as we climbed gently up into the mountains, admiring the views out to sea and passing through a number of small villages. Then we turned left with only 3 kilometres to go. The road immediately became a little more, shall we say, rustic and single track.
To our right was unending rolling hills, to our left the entrance to a farm from which a battered old dusty car was exiting. I couldn't help but notice the look of bewilderment that we were driving down the round.
A little further down a tractor pulled across our tracks from a field to the farmyard - again the driver looked at us quizzically as we carried on.
The round became a little more bumpy and as we rounded the bend and we approached the bottom of the hill. We could see the road rising again up and over the next hill and we were now only 1.5km away. But Simon insisted our journey was over and we needed to turn around. In front of us the road crumbled away into huge gaping pot holes for about a half a car length. I took a bit of convincing and even considered if we could abandon the car and walk the rest of the way.
The problem was there was nowhere to leave the car safely (and it did look a very step hill!) so a fifty point turn it was to get us back facing the right way.
As we drove to the top of the road we passed an elderly gentleman resting on his walking stick - clearly the locals had been altered to the foolish tourists!
We didnt attempt to visit Roghudi after our failed journey to - which did break my heart but the latest you tube video's i found were from 2021 and they were warning about the conditions of the roads so I ruled it out. Maybe we can return in the future with a more appropriate vehicle.
I have seen some more recent videos since our return - so if you have a good sturdy 4x4 and fancy it have a look and post me if you go - i won't be jealous - honest!
Pentedattilo
Perched above the southern most coast of Italy is this charming abandoned village steeped in an tragic story of love and jealousy. Abandoned around 1783 following an earthquake this town can easily fulfil your desire for rambling around ruins with the ability to reach them safely.
Although this is on the list of ghost towns it will probably qualify for the most populated ghost town you visit as there are a few properties that have been, or are in the process of, being renovated and occupied. Dont worry - there are plenty of empty and dishevled buidlings to retain that sense of abandonment.
As you wind you way up the hill from the coast the views are amazing, and that first glimpse of the village will give you goosebumps. At the bottom of the village is a small parking area - followed by a short steep walk you will find yourself in the midst of the village - there is a craft shop, bar and restaurant - but these renovated properties sit comfortably next to the empty ruins.
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