TAKE THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED…

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Terre D'Irsina is a sustainable tourism project launched in the southern Italian village of Irsina, in the lush region of Basilicata. Irsina is located very close to the border with the Puglia region, so well known for its seaside vacations and rustic farm holidays.

Irsina 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 as part of 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 id 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 Irsina 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 savour and enjoy life there. 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 Irsina and focus on entrepreneurial activities to cater to the newfound residents from the four corners of the earth.
 
Today, the village’s 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 Irsina, you do as the locals do and enjoy the same high quality of life. When you walk along the cobblestone streets, lined with pastel-coloured 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.

The Terre D’Irsina project is backed by the local city council. A series of initiatives aimed at welcoming foreign homebuyers that have decided to nest in Irsina 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 it basking in the Italian sun.

About Town

The medieval part of Irsina is a labyrinth of cobblestone roads winding and opening up into little squares with breathtaking views over the vast countryside. It is an agricultural town, formerly an important Byzantine fortified hamlet, built on the Bradano river on the border between the region of Basilicata and Puglia. Churches and fountains are familiar landmarks. In fact, the town boasts an important 13th Century cathedral which was partly rebuilt at the end of the 18th Century and the remains of a Norman castle which have since been incorporated into the crypt of the former monastery of San Francesco. The friendly locals that always 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 village 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, 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 neighbour.

The Homes Available For Sale

The aim of the house sales 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 homebuyers 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, a further 50 houses will be available for sale. After year one, commercial properties and aristocratic palazzos will also be avail able for purchase and restoration, subject to availability.

Phase I prices of properties available for sale:
Studio Approx. less than 35m 30,000 euros
One bedroom Approx. less than 50m 38,000 euros
Two bedrooms Approx. 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 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)