One understated element of Italy is its abandoned villages, little visited places, covered in weeds and heavy with an atmosphere that is both ghostly and romantic. A case in point is Roscigno Vecchia, a semi-ruined little borgo located in the heart of the Cilento national park, 28km west of Teggiano. Sudden landslides in the early 20th century caused the population to flee, although most of the original stone houses are still standing, demonstrating the sturdiness of the historic vernacular architecture.
One of the old buildings even supports an small museum with temperamental opening hours, but the best museum is the village itself with its church, fountain, and resident cats and goats.
