The capital of the Salento, Lecce, is better known as the ‘Florence of the South’ for its artistic richness and the city's typical architectural style - Lecce Baroque, characterised by the use of a type of porous tuff that hardens over time, taking on a golden colour
A common denominator of Baroque exuberance, pietra leccese (also known as pietra gentile for its malleability) was so soft and crumbly that master stonemasons were able to create exquisite embroideries that reach the height of beauty in the facades of the city’s many churches and find their highest expression in the magnificent Basilica of Santa Croce.
Lecce is a true open-air museum: among its many monuments, churches and museums, in the central Piazza Sant’Oronzo you will also find a Roman amphitheatre as a window on history. Dating back to the 2nd century A.D., it was only partly brought to light in the last century, but a good half is still buried under the streets and buildings of Lecce. Capable of holding up to 25,000 spectators, games and shows of all kinds were held there.
Lecce is strategically located in the heart of Salento, but with the sea just 10 kilometres away. In fact, Lecce is practically halfway between the Ionian and Adriatic Seas, which gives the possibility of bathing in a different place every day.
Curiosity:
- Lecce is unique for its papier-mâché workshops, which first arrived in the city in the 17th century with the Spanish. This particular material, which is made from a combination of water, paper, glue and wire, is worked according to traditions handed down from fathers to sons and takes on the most varied forms: from the most traditional to those more typical of design and contemporary art.
- If you are in Lecce around midday, a must is the coffee on ice with almond milk. Try it at Caffè Alvino while the voice of the tenor Tito Schipa wafts through Piazza Sant’Oronzo.
- The central Piazza Sant’Oronzo marks the end of the Via Appia, the Roman road to southern Italy.