The earthquake claimed 3,000 lives.
In the 2000s, the area became a tourist attraction.
Things like war, landslides and recurring earthquakes.
The village is located on the instep of the boot-shaped Italy in Matera province and dates back to 540AD.
Most of the villagers moved down the road or to America between 1892 and 1922.
The landslide in 1963 saw the remaining 1,800 inhabitants leave.
The ghost town that is left has become a tourist attraction and film location.
It is presumed, because of the earthquakes that plagued the coastal area in the late 19th century.
There was one in 1887 that measured 6.7 in magnitude (enough to send anyone packing!).
The old village was abandoned and inhabitants relocated to the aptly named Bussana Nuova (New Bussana).
From the 1950s people started to live illegally here and in the 1960s squatting artists set up a commune.
They survive by selling art to tourists.
Pentedattilo
Located in Calabria (Southern Italy), Pentedattilo was founded by the Greeks in 640BC.
In 1793 it was hit by a devastating earthquake.
So devastating, in fact, that the townspeople migrated to a nearby town called Melito Porto Salvo.
This guest article was contributed by Oliver Randall, a writer atHouseTripwho loves travel, photography and discovering oddities.
