Lecce

Located in Puglia on the heel of Italy and remote from the well-beaten tourist track, the lovely Baroque town of Lecce is tinged with gold from the soft sandstone used in the construction of many of its 16th and 17th-century buildings. The modern city surrounds a centro storico gaily adorned with fanciful Baroque churches and palaces, where a virtual riot of cherubs, gargoyles and mythical beasts run amok over every surface. At the heart of the city lies Piazza Sant’Oronzo, lined on its south side by a Roman amphitheater, and just to the north on the adjacent piazza, the glorious Basilica of Santa Croce has a façade awash with swirls, columns, pediments and a vast rose window that contrast neatly with the simplicity and symmetry of its Renaissance interior. Steps away to the west, the cathedral’s Baroque façades combine with the adjoining Bishop’s Palace to make Lecce’s Piazza Duomo one of the loveliest squares in Italy.
The famed Baroque master architect responsible for much of this beauty was Lo Zingarello, who is buried in his own masterly Chiesa del Rosario (also known as San Giovanni Battista), which was begin in 1691 and has an intricate façade imposed on earlier foundations. Quite aside from its architectural merits, Lecce is a lively, sophisticated town with a large student population, which ensures a thrumming nightlife with plenty of bars and gourmet restaurants to discover. The town makes the perfect springboard to exploring the region of Salento and is located near both the Adriatic and Ionian coastlines for dramatic cliff-top vistas and sandy beaches. 

Practical Info

Lecce is the main town of Salento, the region at the very tip of Italy’s heel.