page_title: Irsina
section_title: 21st century
hierarchical_section_title: Irsina / 21st century
caption_attribution_description: English: Veduta di Irsina sul fosse dei Greci
context_page_description: Irsina, is a town, comune 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.
context_section_description: Once known as Montepeloso, Irsina sits on the top of a hill at around 550 metres (1,800 ft) above sea level and enjoys panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. Ancient walls embrace the historical centre, the watch towers, the elegant buildings, the small churches, the narrow alleyways and the old gates to the town.
  Irsina has been an area of settlement for many thousands of years. It became a fortified town in medieval times and has belonged to some of the most powerful families in Italy. Irsina's strategic position saw the struggle for dominance alternate between the Normans, Swabians, Angevins and Aragòns and consequently, was often destroyed and rebuilt in the process.
  Irsina today is a pretty, magical and unspoilt village with a small community of English speaking residents, from Britain, South Africa and Belgium who live there either full-time or enjoy holiday homes and operate their B&B's. There are private enterprise art classes run and operated for Belgiums, twice yearly every summer held in the refurbished old monastery, the Aranacea. The Aranacea the cultural hub is owned publicly by the Municipale. Irsina is just coming onto the tourist radar.
  The village is one hour from Bari Airport (Ryanair), and hour and a half from Brindisi airport, (also Ryanair). It is one hour from the beach, and thirty minutes from Matera. The countryside is interspersed with rivers, lakes, fields, woods and archaeological ruins.
caption: Glimpse of the old town overlooking the valley
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