As foreigners flock to buy old, inexpensive houses in Italy, one group has gone a step further, helping to revive a depopulated town
. Irsina, deep in the southern Basilicata region, is home to over 300 non-Italians from 12 different countries, alongside 4,000 local residents. Until the 1960s, this hilltop village surrounded by fields had a population of 12,000, but mass emigration combined with harsh living conditions meant that by the 1960s, barely 4,500 people were living in the old historical center. Today, things are different.
After purchasing five houses for her extended family , each time she has visited with her husband Rob, she’s brought along more American friends to buy property in the village. Why? She felt the pull of her roots. Day’s grandmother hails from Irsina and she still has relatives in the village – like her aunt Antonietta, who knows all the expats. Day likes to throw huge “mixed” parties on the elegant panoramic terrace of her 18th-century palazzo, where locals and Americans mingle.
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