We grabbed a car and took a zip around the hills of Basilicata, tracing a route through the landscape described dutifully by Carlo Levi in his post-war masterpiece Christ Stopped at Eboli – note: we trained through Eboli…Christ should have bypassed Eboli and spent a little more time around Matera.

Many have described the desolation of Craco, so I’ll spare repeating what many have said before us more eloquently and (historically) accurately. However, I must say we chose the perfect day to visit; moody clouds and drizzle descended as we wound our way up the mountainside, bedraggled donkeys and mangy, burr-infested dogs greeted us mournfully.