Irsina, until 1895 called Montepeloso (in local dialect: or ), is a town, comune (municipality) and former Latin bishopric in the province of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is a member of the I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy") association.
The town
Irsina is an agricultural town perched 550 metres (1,800 ft) above sea level. The town overlooks a grain plateau which produces much of the pasta used across Italy. The economy is mostly based on agriculture, with the production of cereals and wine.
With a population of about 5,000 people in 2,000 households, Irsina sits on the border between the Southern Italian regions of Puglia (Apulia) and Basilicata, within the Council of Materia.
The geography of the town is very simple. The new town is joined to the old by a modern main street which has now become the commercial focus, with small bars, shops and cafes, surrounded by much housing.
Ancient walls embrace the historical centre. Entering through the town gates, there is a medieval part of Irsina with a labyrinth of cobblestone roads winding and opening up into little squares with scenic views over the vast countryside. Ancient watchtowers, small churches, elegant buildings and small fountains are familiar landmarks. There is a 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.
Etymology
Until 1895, the town was called Montepoloso, a name derived from the Greek '', that means 'the land fertile and rich'.
The current name, Irsina, seems to derive from the Latin ''.
History
The numerous archaeological finds, vases, Greek and Roman coins, weapons, furnishings, and various Italo-Greek relics, that have been found inside and outside Irsina, testify to its ancient grandeur during the Greek-Roman period.
The medieval history of Montepeloso starts from AD 895, the year in which the city was invaded by the Saracens. They were attempting to invade the southerly regions of Benevento (north-east of Napoli). They occupied many settlements in this region, which was at that time called Lucania. In 988 Montepeloso was besieged and again destroyed by the Saracens. Rebuilt by the Prince of Salerno Giovanni II, after his death (in about 998), it became the scene of bloody battles between the Muslims and the Byzantines.
In 1042, Montepeloso was the scene of a great battle between the Byzantine and the Norman armies. The Byzantine army was headed by Augustus Bugiano (Boioannes); the Norman forces are controlled by Atenolfo, brother of the Prince of Benevento. The knights are led by William of Altavilla and Argiro. The Byzantines are defeated by the Norman troops following which the town passed into Norman rule. According to the chronicle of the Beloved of Montecassino, Tristan, knight of the lineage Altavilla in the territory of the Vulture, is the first Norman Count of Montepeloso, one of the twelve baronies of which composes the County of Puglia.
In 1123, Pope Callisto II elected Montepeloso as a bishopric, perhaps to counter the presence of a strong Orthodox-Byzantine minority that still existed in the country. In 1132, Montepeloso joined the revolt of the Apulian Barons against Ruggero II, King of Sicily and Puglia, and was occupied by one of these Barons, Tancredi di Conversano, Count of Brindisi. A year later, Ruggero II punished the town for taking the side of the rebel Tancredi and it was razed to the ground and the inhabitants murdered.
There were various bloody dynastic events affecting the town in the Swabian period (11th to 14th centuries) when it was annexed to the County of Andria. With the death of Frederick II, it became a marquisate under the Lordship of Manfredi, whose defeat in the battle of Benevento in 1266 marked the passage of Montepeloso to the Angevins who first gave it to Pietro di Belmonte, (Count of Montescaglioso), and then to Giovanni di Monteforte, (Count of Squillace). In 1307, the town and the County of Montescaglioso passed to Bertrando del Balzo, Count of Avellino, who, following his marriage to Beatrice, daughter of Charles II, also obtained the County of Andria. The Aragonese took over from the Del Balzo family, who owned the lands of Montepeloso for over a century and a half. In 1586, Luigi Gaetani D’Aragona sold the barony of Montepeloso to Girolamo Grimaldi, a noble Genoese family.