Despite its stunning views and robust medieval masonry, the town’s location proved to be disastrous. Local earthquakes and land erosion turned the town into an island throughout the 17th-century, and the locals started referring to it as il paese che muore (“the town that is dying”).
The cliffside-erosion caused several buildings to collapse down the hill, prompting many families to leave. By the year 2000, the town’s population was a mere six people.
Thanks to a recent revival, prompted by a tourism boom, the population doubled, with 12 residents living there during the winter and almost 100 during the summer months.