Acquarica del Capo

Acquarica del Capo was a town and comune in the province of Lecce, Apulia, south-eastern Italy. In 2019 it was merged with the adjacent Presicce to form Presicce-Acquarica.

It is located in Salento, 10 km from the Ionian Sea and 60 km from Lecce. Its origins are medieval and it grew around a Norman fortification. Later it was transformed into a castle town by the Aragonese.

Main sights

 * Medieval castle. It was probably a Norman fortification around which the village developed in the Middle Ages and was later transformed in a Castle in the 14th century by Giovanni Antonio Orsini Del Balzo, Prince of Taranto. Only a round tower remains from the original four. In the court can be seen the so-called "Pila di Pompignano" saved from destruction in 1982 by the local writer Carlo Stasi who wrote its legend.
 * Church of San Carlo Borromeo
 * Church of San Giovanni Battista
 * Church Madonna dei Panetti, at Celsorizzo, one of the most ancient constructions in the lower Salento.
 * Fortified masseria of Celsorizzo. A huge Norman Tower with Byzantine frescoes in the Chapel at its base.
 * Church of Madonna di Pompignano