A few kilometres from Lecce, in the vicinity of Vernole, lies the village of Acaya, formerly called Segine, surrounded by mighty walls and a wide moat.
This village is “watched over” by the imposing Castle, considered one of the best examples of Renaissance defensive architecture in Terra d'Otranto and among the most innovative and best-kept fortresses in the entire Vice Kingdom of Naples, the work of the military genius Gian Giacomo dell'Acaya, who designed it at the behest of Charles V.