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FRAZIONE
OF THE COMMUNE OF VERNOLE
Acaya is one of the five
small villages under the administration of Vernole. At the beginning of the feudal age it was annexed to
the
 County
of Lecce. In 1269 the Angevin Charles I gave this centre to the Monastery of
St John of Lecce. In 1283 Raimondo Gubaldo took over. In 1294 the feud was
given by Charles II to Gervasio Acaya, whose family gave the name to the
village and governed it for two centuries. Between 1521 and 1535, Gian Giacomo
Acaya planned the fortification of the casale, by making build a
beautiful castle, enormous bastions and defensive walls. In the XVII century
Acaya was governed by the De Monti and the Vernazzas. Acaya is considered the
most typical town- fortress of the South of Italy and it attracts many
tourists. The Mother Church is dedicated to the Madonna of the Snow and it is
very simple. The ancient convent dates back to the XVI century : here there are
the rests of ancient frescoes, but they are not in good conditions.
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