Baroque & Roll in Stunning Lecce

Rome. Florence. Milan. All beautiful Italian cities full of history and culture. And another city to add to the list is Lecce, located low down in Puglia, the heel of Italy’s boot. Lecce is known for its ornate baroque buildings and gorgeous churches, and is also perfectly situated for the beautiful beaches of the Salento region.

Fortified by the Emperor Hadrian, the city of Lecce has connections to ancient Greece and to the Roman Empire. In the 17th century, the city had a facelift, with buildings given a makeover by young ambitious architects. Lecce entered the age of Baroque and Roll.

You can’t escape the Baroque architecture. It’s everywhere. Wikipedia describes Baroque as “a highly decorative and theatrical style”. There are cupolas and collonades, intricate tapestries and gilded sculptures. Everything is opulent, yet never ostentatious. Honey-coloured buildings glow against the blue sky. Many are constructed from pietra leccese – a soft local limestone which can be easily modelled and sculpted. Hence the ornate carvings.

Our Lecce Story

We headed to Lecce on a day trip from our Ostuni base; Lecce is just over an hour’s drive away via the SS16/E55. If you are paying more than a flying visit then Lecce would be an excellent base to explore the Salento region. We doubled up our visit to Lecce with a quick trip to Gallipoli, just a 35 minute drive from Lecce. From Lecce it is possible to drive all the way to Italy’s most eastern point, Punta Palascia, just south of Otrantoa, or to the southernmost tip of Puglia, Santa Maria di Leuca.

Our first stop in Lecce is Basilica di Santa Croce, a beautiful 17th century church with intricate carvings and a beautiful rose window. There’s plenty to spot in the magnificent façade; there are leaves and berries, saints and warriors, mythical beasts and apparently even a self-portrait of architect Francesco Antonio Zimbalo. There’s no sprawling open piazza in front of the Basilica so it’s difficult to get a perfect vantage point for a photograph. I made do with peeking round the corner.

Next we head to Piazza Sant’Oronzo. To be honest, I’m not sure we’ve seen the best of Lecce yet. The square is wide and open, and we scurry into the shade. It’s only 11am but the temperature is nudging 35°. It’s on this piazza that you can find an unusual 20m high bronze clock, the Orologio delle Meraviglie. Oh, and a McDonalds.

I have a plan for our Lecce visit. So I check Google to see where our next stop is. If I’d have just turned around I’d have saved myself some time. Yep, it was behind me. In this non-descript square – albeit one with an impressive column – is a reminder of the city’s past. The Roman Ampitheatre is believed to have been built in the 2nd century AD, long before the current fancy Baroque architecture was a twinkle in the eye. It’s an incredible feat of engineering, yet it was completely hidden from view until half was excavated in the early 20th century. The other half is still below-ground, where the Piazza Sant’Oronzo has been constructed above it. Once used for gladiator fights, it is now used for concerts and theatre shows.

There’s a bit of a theme running through these Puglian travel guides, but Lecce is yet another place with a labyrinthine network of streets, We wander from piazza to piazza, without a plan, and take in the outstanding beauty. Little of the original city walls remain, but three of the ancient portas still stand – Porta Napoli, Porta Rudiae and Porta San Biagio. These gates were my favourite place to photograph – and be photographed!

Lecce has not one, but two, ancient Roman entertainment venues! The second, the Teatro Romano, is hidden in a maze of alleyways, accessed from via del Palazzo dei Conti di Lecce. This is less easy to find than the Roman Ampitheatre, but it is signposted. Or just follow a tour group. In case you’re wondering, the difference between the two is that a ampitheatre is a full circle – like a stadium – whereas a theatre is more of a semi-circle like, well, a theatre. I find Teatro Romano even more impressive than the ampitheatre. It just looks like its been plonked in someone’s backyard.

We decide to seek somewhere shady for a coffee. We have our first taste of caffè Leccese at Alibi Creative Club on Piazza Vittoria Emanuele II. (Yes, another one). Caffè Leccese is a traditional iced coffee in the Salento region, a shot of espresso served with a dash of almond syrup. Beautifully layered, you get the bitter kick from the coffee before it morphs into the sweetness of the almond. It was invented right here in Lecce, but you can now find similar versions all over Puglia.

We continue exploring the street’s of Lecce’s Old Town. Piazza del Duomo is a charming square which houses the Cattedrale di Lecce, dedicated to Maria Santissima Assunta e Sant’Oronzo. You can head to the top of the Campanile del Duomo by elevator for amazing views over the city for €12pp, although on this occasion we decided to keep our feet firmly on the ground. Look out for the slight tilt – Pisa isn’t the only place in Italy with a leaning tower!

I realise that we have been in Italy for two full days and we haven’t yet had a gelato. We soon put that right at Gelatario Gelatario, on Via Giuseppe Libertini, right around the corner from the Duomo. Rome turned me into something of a gelato snob so I’m pleased to discover that the gelato is kept in covered metal containers, rather than in an open showcase of unnatural colours and flavours. Mr Fletche is pleased to discover that many flavours are also offered as a vegan option, meaning his little lactose-intolerant tummy can rest easy.

You can read my A Brummie Home and Abroad Guide to Rome Food and Drink here!

We have plans to visit Gallipoli in the afternoon whilst we are in the Salento region, so we decide to say ciao for now to Lecce, feeling a little sad that we didn’t decide to spend at least one night in this vibrant city with its quirky architecture and Roman ruins around every corner.

Lecce through the lens of Mr Fletche

(All photos used with permission. In fact, he practically begged me to add them)

Getting to and around Lecce

The closest airport to Lecce is Brindisi, just 30 minutes away. However if you are flying into Bari International Airport-Karol Wojtyla, Lecce is a 2 hour drive, or 1 hour and 20 minutes by train from Bari Centrale.

Much of the centre of the city is a ZTL (restricted traffic zone). We worried about accidentally driving into a ZTL, but these areas were always clearly marked. We parked in the the underground Parkejoo Car Park on Viale Michele de Pietro (€1,50 per hour). Located just a 5 minute walk from the centro storico it was an ideal choice. The entrance and exit are a little tight – check out the number of scuff marks on the wall – but the car park is well-maintained, clean and even has toilets!

Lecce is a very walkable city, with a pedestrainised centro storico. All of the main sights are located very close together so unless you plan to head out to the new town you won’t need any public transport to make your way around this compact city.

Final thoughts

Commonly known as the “Florence of the South”, Lecce is unique in so many ways. Florence is full of tourists aching to get a close-up view of masterpieces such as Boticelli’s Birth of Venus at the Uffizi or Michelangelo’s David at L’Accademia. Lecce feels wonderfully empty by comparison. It still feels like I’ve stumbled upon a secret.

Want to read more about our trip to the Florence of the North – or, well, just Florence? You can read more here!

It’s not a city for ticking off tourist attractions or specific sites. Lecce is a city made for exploring. It’s made for people-watching, for experiencing la dolce vita and for lingering over a coffee or aperitivo. As a university city, Lecce is vibrant. I could very easily see us booking a longer trip to Lecce in future.

Visiting Lecce soon? You can pin this article for future reference!