Patron saint festival In 333 days
Feast of Saint Euphemia
📅 Every year, from 14 to 17 September
From 14 to 17 September Irsina celebrates Saint Euphemia: on the 16th the keys of the city are handed to the archbishop, and by him to the patroness.
Until 1895 the town was called Montepeloso. Then in the council chamber a councillor argued that it needed a name that was more graceful and more harmonious, one that evoked neither mountains nor hair, and proposed Irsina. The majority agreed, and nobody now remembers the stony hill the old name probably came from.
In the cathedral there is a sculpture recently attributed to Andrea Mantegna: it arrived with the furnishings given to the church in the time of the del Balzo. On 3 September 1041, below the town, Normans and Byzantines fought the battle of Montepeloso, which handed the place to the Hauteville family. Irsina now has 5,100 residents on a territory of 262 square kilometres, among the largest in Italy.
The Irsina guide
What to eat here 1
Pane di Matera
Where to stay 10
10 places to stay · top rated: Angela's Apartment. Elegant two bedroom house in Irsina 9.8 · Casa vacanze San Martino 9.8
Events & festivals 1
Next up: Feast of Saint Euphemia, Tuesday 14 September
Getting there
Nearest airport: Bari Palese, 62 km away
Tours, tickets and experiences
Bookable on GetYourGuideExperiences in Irsina
🎉 Festivals and feasts in Irsina 1
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🍝 The flavours of Irsina
Pane di Matera durum wheat semolina bread, thick crust and yellow crumb
Durum wheat semolina, thick crust, shaped as a horn or a tall loaf: Pane di Matera has held Protected Geographical Indication status since 2008.
Read more →Straight-line distances from the town centre. Tap a point to open its page.
Near Irsina
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
Places to see within 25 km
Outside Irsina, but an easy day trip away.
Teatro Bibiena 📍 Mantua · 24 km Designed by Antonio Galli da Bibbiena in 1767, this bell-shaped Mantuan theatre hosted a young Mozart in 1770. castello di San Giorgio 📍 Mantua · 24 km Gonzaga fortress in Mantua, famous for the Camera degli Sposi frescoes painted by Andrea Mantegna. Palazzo Ducale 📍 Mantua · 24 km Spanning over 35,000 square metres, the Gonzaga palace in Mantua is one of Europe's largest royal residences. chiesa di San Sebastiano 📍 Mantua · 24 km Designed by Leon Battista Alberti in 1460, the Temple of San Sebastiano is a Renaissance church in Mantua. basilica di Sant'Andrea 📍 Mantua · 24 km The largest church in Mantua, a Renaissance masterpiece designed by Leon Battista Alberti. piazza Virgiliana 📍 Mantua · 24 km A historic green square in Mantua featuring a grand Carrara marble monument dedicated to the Roman poet Virgil.