Irsina

Irsina is a town, comune (municipality) and former Latin bishopric in the province of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata.

The economy is mostly based on agriculture, with the production of cereals and wine.

The town

The medieval part of Irsina is a labyrinth of cobblestone roads winding and opening up into little squares with scenic views over the vast countryside. It is an agricultural town. Churches and fountains are familiar landmarks. The town boasts an important 13th-century cathedral which was partly rebuilt at the end of the 18th century. The remains of a Norman castle have since been incorporated into the crypt of the former monastery of San Francesco.

Around the more modern part of the village, cafés and shops painted in warm hues of beige, rose-petal and yellow snugly sit beside each other. The whole village is perched on a hill overlooking Italy’s grain plateau – in fact, the area produces a lot of the grain used to make pasta in the whole of Italy.

Village and nearby countryside