There are plenty of ghost towns in Italy, all abandoned for various reasons - natural disasters, poor location, poor foundations and planning, or migration - but one of the most fascinating towns of all has to be Italy's failed Las Vegas: Consonno in Lombardy .
Although the town has ancient origins, its decline only occurred after it was bought and rebuilt in the 1960s. This was the time of economic prosperity in Italy and in the era of fast cars, rock 'n' roll and glamorous lifestyle, entrepreneur Mario Bagno made it his mission to transform the town.
He bought every piece of land in the area and forced the locals to move before razing everything except the church and a few houses.
Hoping to attract crowds of tourists from Milan, he dreamed of a "city of cities" that would have shopping centers, restaurants, banquet halls and at least one luxury hotel. Each building should represent the architectural style of a different culture or a different time; the commercial gallery was built in the shape of a Muslim minaret, Chinese pagodas were scattered throughout the gardens and a fake medieval castle was placed at the entrance to the town. There were even plans to build a basketball court, a zoo, a new autodrome, tennis courts, a soccer field, a riding arena, casinos, bars, a disco, a bowling alley, an amusement park, hiking trails and an Egyptian sphinx.
For a brief period in the late '60s and early '70s, a sizeable crowd actually came here and the place has become a popular destination for weddings and weekend parties. Then a flood flooded and eroded Consonno's main street, making it impossible to reach the town and the project died.
Bagno briefly tried to make the place flourish again in the 1980s as a nursing home and residence for the elderly, but he didn't succeed with this plan either. A rave that took place in the town in 2007 was the final nail in the coffin, as the partygoers left it destroyed and battered.
The place, as you can see it today, is a half-finished patchwork of abandoned, kitschy buildings, all spray-painted with graffiti. According to recent reports, the past could be repeating itself as people are considering demolishing the town again.
This rather bizarre spot in Italy now looks like a scene from a post-apocalyptic film. However, for anyone who is fascinated by the spooky and dilapidated buildings, it is a captivating sight.