Accadia
Encyclopedia
Accadia is a town and comune
in the province of Foggia
in the Apulia
region of southeast Italy. Until the mid-20th century it was just within the eastern frontier of the region of Campania
in the province of Avellino
.
It is not far from Foggia
on the rich agricultural plains of the Tavoliere delle Puglie
in the east, nor from Naples
to the west and occupies a hilltop at 600 metres of elevation.
Population increases in summer when many of its migrant labour force return home to take up temporary residence and visit family.
, between the 2nd and 1st millennium BC. Later it was part of the Roman Empire
. According to the tradition, the name derives from a temple to the Roman mythological figure Acca Larentia
which existed here.
In the past it had a much larger population than it does today. A Neapolitan
army sacked it during the Bourbon period. They also took the gates of the town as booty, and these are still to be seen in the civic museum in Naples to this day. These events are recorded on a frieze
on the clock tower on the main square in the centre of the town. There is also one remaining Roman arch at a former entrance to the town.
In addition there is extensive redevelopment of the formerly inhabited old quarter of town, which was abandoned after an earthquake in the 1930s. This was when a large portion of the towns population emigrated and established a colony in Buffalo
, New York, in the United States.
, Italy, since 2008
Accadia has also a friendship agreement with Spello
, also in Italy.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in the province of Foggia
Province of Foggia
The Province of Foggia is a province in the Apulia region of Italy.This province is also known as Capitanata, originally Catapanata, because during the Middle Ages it was governed by a catapan, as part of the Catapanate of Italy...
in the Apulia
Apulia
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
region of southeast Italy. Until the mid-20th century it was just within the eastern frontier of the region of Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
in the province of Avellino
Province of Avellino
The Province of Avellino is a province in the Campania region of Italy. The area is typified by many small towns and villages scattered across the province; in fact only two towns have a population over 20,000; its capital city Avellino and Ariano Irpino....
.
It is not far from Foggia
Foggia
Foggia is a city and comune of Apulia, Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere, also known as the "granary of Italy".-History:...
on the rich agricultural plains of the Tavoliere delle Puglie
Tavoliere delle Puglie
thumb|300px|The Tavoliere seen from the [[Gargano]] promontory.The Tavoliere delle Puglie is a plain in northern Apulia, southern Italy, occupying nearly a half of the Capitanata traditional region. It covers a surface of c...
in the east, nor from Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
to the west and occupies a hilltop at 600 metres of elevation.
Population increases in summer when many of its migrant labour force return home to take up temporary residence and visit family.
History
The town originated as a settlement of the DardaniDardani
Dardania was the region of the Dardani .Located at the Thraco-Illyrian contact zone, their identification as either an Illyrian or Thracian tribe is uncertain. Their territory itself was not considered part of Illyria by Strabo. The term used for their territory was , while for other tribes had...
, between the 2nd and 1st millennium BC. Later it was part of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. According to the tradition, the name derives from a temple to the Roman mythological figure Acca Larentia
Acca Larentia
Acca Larentia or Acca Larentina was a mythical woman, later goddess, in Roman mythology whose festival, the Larentalia, was celebrated on December 23.-Foster mother:...
which existed here.
In the past it had a much larger population than it does today. A Neapolitan
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
army sacked it during the Bourbon period. They also took the gates of the town as booty, and these are still to be seen in the civic museum in Naples to this day. These events are recorded on a frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
on the clock tower on the main square in the centre of the town. There is also one remaining Roman arch at a former entrance to the town.
In addition there is extensive redevelopment of the formerly inhabited old quarter of town, which was abandoned after an earthquake in the 1930s. This was when a large portion of the towns population emigrated and established a colony in Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, New York, in the United States.
Twin towns
San Marco in LamisSan Marco in Lamis
San Marco in Lamis is a town and comune in the province of Foggia in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. It is located in the Gargano massif area.Apart from some tourism connected to pilgrimages at the local Catholic sanctuary of St...
, Italy, since 2008
Accadia has also a friendship agreement with Spello
Spello
Spello is an ancient town and comune of Italy, in the province of Perugia in east central Umbria, on the lower southern flank of Mt. Subasio. It is 6 km NNW of Foligno and 10 km SSE of Assisi.The old walled town lies on a regularly NW-SE sloping ridge that eventually meets the plain...
, also in Italy.