Delightful, sunny locations in Southern Italy, on the border between the regions of Puglia and Basilicata.

The villages are about one hour from Bari’s (Ryanair-serviced) airport, an hour and a half from Brindisi’s (Ryanair-serviced) airport, thirty minutes from the beach, and twenty minutes from the bustling town of Matera. Matera is a UNESCO protected mankind heritage and the town where Mel Gibson filmed his film “The Passion of Christ.”

Miglionico, Grottole and Irsina are surrounded by idyllic countryside interspersed with rivers, lakes, fields, woods and archaeological ruins. The villages themselves are quaint conglomerations of pastel and beige colored homes perched on a hilltop. The citadels enjoy majestic views over the surrounding countryside.

The Terre D’Irsina Concept of Buying Property in Italy

The project focuses on offering foreign home buyers access to a small village house starting from the price of a small car. House prices in fact start from 22,500 euros for a furnished and restructured Italian village home.

Terre D’Irsina viewing weekends:

October 24 and 25
November 14 and 15
February 27 and 28
March 27 and 28
April 24 and 25
May 15 and 16
June 12 and 13
July 10 and 11 August - No viewing weekend in August
September 25 and 26

TAKE THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED…

The Terre D'Irsina – Miglionico, Grottole and Irsina project is a sustainable tourism plan focusing on property for sale in Italy. It is located in the southern Italian villages of Miglionico, Grottole, and Irsina, in the lush region of Basilicata. All three villages are located very close to the border with the Puglia region, so well known for its seaside vacations and rustic farm holidays.

The area is a magical place, where you can travel back to a time when tradition was the cornerstone of an Italian holiday. It’s the perfect backdrop for those that want a place to call their own immersed in the real, rustic Italy – a sanctuary of authenticity away from the fast-paced life most of us are embroiled in.

The Terre D’Irsina project aims to only use local workers and artisans for the restoration process as part of a plan to breathe fresh life into the local economy. After the home has been handed over to the new owner, the only services that are recommended are local ones. The beauty of this process is that it allows buyers to put back as much into the community as they are getting out of it.

The idea behind the project is to try and retain what makes the three villages so special over the future years by ensuring that an increasing number of like-minded people spend time in the village, and encourage the local trade and artisans whilst they enjoy their alternative to a low-cost Tuscany holiday villa and savor and enjoy Italian life. For sure, it will never become a place that is overrun with tourists – it doesn’t lend itself to that type of appeal. Still, the idea is to build a powerful momentum that over the years will encourage the young and the bright not to travel to large cities and the richer north in search of jobs and fortune, but to stay in the villages and focus on entrepreneurial activities to cater to the new found residents from the four corners of the earth.

Today, the villages’ services and trade cater only to locals – that’s the beauty of it. The restaurants and café’s are populated only by locals. As such, when you come to the area, you do as the locals do and enjoy the same high quality of life. When you walk along the cobblestone streets, lined with pastel-colored houses, and look down on the stunning view across the fields of grain, the olive trees and grapevines, you can really soak in the true, real Italy. Buying here is a novel method of how to buy Italian property; it’s a whole new concept in Italian real estate.

The Terre D’Irsina project is backed by the local city councils of the villages of Miglionico, Grottole and Irsina. A series of initiatives aimed at welcoming foreign home buyers that have decided to nest in the villages include a family mentorship program that matches local families with those coming from elsewhere. You will be taken under a local family’s wing and matched according to similar interests. So if it’s wine tasting, fishing, or vintage cars that’s your passion, you can make friends locally and enjoy the area basking in the Italian sun.

About Town

The medieval part of the villages is a labyrinth of cobblestone roads winding and opening up into little squares with breathtaking views over the vast countryside. Whilst the town offers a more modest, down-to-earth rendition of life in Italy than that offered by the purchase of an Italian Tuscany villa, the village economies are vibrant and active, reflecting the agricultural towns.

Formerly an important Byzantine fortified hamlet, the villages are nestled close to the Bradano river on the border between the region of Basilicata and Puglia. Churches, aristocratic palazzos, sun-kissed village squares and fountains are familiar landmarks in all three towns.

The friendly locals always seem to have fifteen minutes to stop for a chat, invite you in for an espresso coffee or a glass of home-made wine, or take you to your destination point if you have stopped for directions. Depending on the time of day, the smells of the local gastronomic tradition pervade the air. In the morning, the inviting taste of freshly baked bread and “cornetti” (the local croissant) is a powerful force that will lure you into the various local bakeries. In mid-morning, the strong aroma of freshly-ground coffee beans will accompany you as you wander down a sunlit road. At lunch, mouthwatering smells of home-made pasta sauces pervade the air.

Around the more modern part of the villages’ café’s and shops, painted in warm hues of beige, rose-petal and yellow, snuggly sit beside each other beckoning you to come inside. 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.

Depending on your requirements and commitments, you can either enjoy the leisure of an Italian day with the slow pace of life it boasts, or work from home on broadband, getting the best of both worlds. A quick visit to the local bakery in the morning and then an hour well spent sitting on your balcony, basking in the sun and sipping fresh-ground coffee and eating a still oven-warm cornetto. Alternatively you can catch up on work from a broadband connection in the morning, and then enjoy a sleepy warm summer afternoon, where the height of activity involves a hike in the meandering countryside lanes, making friends with the locals, drinking the local wine, and then a snack stop for one of the local delicacies in a local restaurant. When the sun sets, a wander round the town to do a bit of shopping by stopping off at the little shops glowing in the shimmering pre-twilight light. Or a pre-dinner “aperitivo” drink in one of the local café’s over a game of cards with a newly-found neighbor. Whilst immediate access to the seaside as offered by a beach property is clearly not the order of the day, nonetheless you are a mere car ride away from the Metaponto beaches and all they have to offer.

The Aim of the House Sale is Two-Fold:

First and foremost, to generate employment and services locally. The area is traditionally agriculture based and very sleepy. Many of the young travel to the more industrial north of Italy for jobs.

Secondly, to offer home buyers a charming holiday or retirement home in a delightful location where the quality of life is high and the cost of life and travel is low. A one-stop shop for people's dream home in Italy.
In Phase I, twenty houses of various sizes (studio, one, two and three bedroom) will be available for sale.

Once Phase I has been completed, and depending on the success of the project, a further 50 Italian properties for sale will be available. After year one, commercial properties and aristocratic palazzos will also be available for purchase and restoration, subject to availability.

Phase I prices of properties available for sale:

Studio approximately less than 35m from 25,000 euros
One bedroom approximately less than 50m 38,000 euros
Two bedrooms approximately less than 85m 45,000 euros
The price includes property purchase cost, restoration and furnishing. It does not include notary/taxes/closing costs and utilities connections fees.
There are local property management services available once the handover of the home in question has been completed.

Things to Do Around Miglionico, Grottole and Irsina:

The Town of Matera:
The 2,000-year old town of Matera is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is the location of Mel Gibson's film " The Passion of Christ." Wander round the old town ("I Sassi") that clings onto the side of the cliff and soak in the extraordinary atmosphere that brings you back thousands of years. Enjoy the life and bustle of the modern part of the city, sipping an aperitivo of excellent wine in one of the infinite outdoor bars, or shop in the exquisite fashion boutiques. Dine in one of the atmospheric restaurants that are open among the caves.

Metaponto Beach:
Spend the day soaking in the sun and swimming at Metaponto, an uncontaminated seaside location close to Irsina. Have lunch at a seafood restaurant on the beach, or at one of the country hotels a bit further inland. Join in the numerous sports activities organized in the village.
Airports:
Bari: 1 hour (84 km)
Brindisi: 2 hours (199 km)
Naples 2 hours 30 minutes (213 km)

For more information about Irsina, please click here

HOUSE INSPECTION TRIP AND ACCOMODATION:
For your visit, we can suggest staying in a local hotel so that you can do as the locals do and enjoy the beauty and magic of living the Italian lifestyle. Contact us This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for further information.