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Lecce, Italy is greater than only a metropolis within the heel of the boot — this artsy, distinctive metropolis is commonly known as the “Florence of the South.” For those who beloved the Tuscan capital however possibly want it had just a few much less vacationers, Lecce is assured to forged its spell on you!
Lecce is a small metropolis with an enormous architectural legacy within the Salento area of Puglia. I first visited Lecce as a base for exploring this deeper, southern a part of Puglia, and it made an ideal base. Lecce is an inland metropolis, however you possibly can simply get to the famed seashores of the Ionian and Adriatic coastlines in lower than an hour’s drive.
Puglia is normally related to conical trulli buildings and delicate sandy seashores, however Lecce is all concerning the Baroque. Make that “Lecce Baroque!” Lecce flourished within the seventeenth and 18th centuries throughout a flurry of development.
An area, warm-hued stone known as pietra leccese was the go-to and it added a softer twist to the usual structure of the time. There you see how the Puglian metropolis earned its nickname!
My favourite factor to do in Lecce was simply to take in the ambiance, strolling the passeggiata because the solar went down, poking my head into fascinating retailers and attempting numerous totally different wines and meals. The whole lot in Lecce is sun-soaked and welcoming.
Except for all of the distinctive issues to do in Lecce, this metropolis is considerably extra inexpensive than traditional Italian hotspots like Rome or the Amalfi Coast. I additionally discovered Lecce to be cheaper than common close by cities like Monopoli and Matera.
Surprisingly well-connected by the quick Frecciarossa trains (critically, trains from Lecce go all the way in which to Torino within the far north! Torino!!), Lecce can be a worthwhile day journey from different spots in Puglia.
That stated — staying in a single day permits you to profit from this southern Italy gem. If in case you have the time, I extremely advocate you keep in a single day, or for just a few nights, like I did.
This submit was printed in December 2023 and co-written by Adventurous Kate and Hannah Cooper.
![A Baroque church covered with ornate stone details on a piazza in Lecce, Italy.](https://www.adventurouskate.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Lecce-Italy-Historic-Center-1024x683.jpg)
Finest Issues to Do in Lecce, Italy
Discover the Historic Middle of Lecce
Whether or not you’re there for the day or a few nights, the Centro Storico of Lecce will declare most of your consideration. You possibly can stroll round at leisure, or be part of a strolling tour to study the historic and cultural context.
Don’t miss the remaining metropolis gates! Topped by carvings of saints, Porta Rudiae is the oldest of the trio. This and Porta Napoli are essentially the most spectacular though the oft-overlooked Porta San Biagio has the good thing about being quieter.
Undoubtedly wander by the landscaped park of Villa Comunale and go on a scavenger hunt for the principle church buildings. These are the Basilica di Santa Croce, Santa Chiara, San Mateo, and San Giovanni Battista.
Discovering Lecce is your quintessential guided tour full of Lecce Baroque monuments. It’s additional sweetened by sampling the delectable caffè leccese: iced espresso made with almond milk.
Not up for lots of strolling? This two-hour Lecce Historical Attractions Tour can be delivered by bike or by rickshaw!
For those who’re touring as a gaggle or household, then this unique Lecce Guided Walking Tour presents superior worth. You’ll see the important thing sights and listen to concerning the metropolis’s journey from its foundations to what adopted after the autumn of the Roman Empire. As a result of it’s a non-public tour, you’ll have enter on the route.
![A big church set on a piazza in Italy, with a crowd of people with kids walking around in front of it.](https://www.adventurouskate.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Lecce-Cathedral-Lecce-Italy-1024x680.jpg)
See the Lecce Cathedral in Piazza del Duomo
Situated within the Piazza del Duomo, the magnificent Lecce Cathedral deserves particular point out. The foundations of the Norman church date again to 1144, however what you see at present was constructed within the seventeenth century. Architect Giuseppe Zimbalo was commissioned for the re-design and addition of the bell tower which set the tone for the Lecce Baroque type.
Guided excursions normally cease at Duomo di Lecce, though it prices further to enter. I like to recommend shopping for the mixture package deal for 11 EUR ($12 USD), as this contains entry to 4 different church buildings, plus the Seminary Palace.
The Seminary is value visiting purely to see the cloistered courtyard, however there’s additionally a small museum outlining native artwork traits of the seventeenth and 18th centuries.
![The rounded steps of an ancient Roman amphitheater in Lecce, in front of a fascism-era modern stone building with a clock tower with a modern face on it.](https://www.adventurouskate.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Roman-Amphitheater-in-Lecce-Italy-1024x683.jpg)
Marvel on the Roman Amphitheater
There’s one headliner on the town you couldn’t miss should you tried — and that’s the Roman Amphitheater of Lecce. It’s partially underground and occupies a bit of the Piazza Sant’Oronzo – the very coronary heart of Lecce.
For those who’ve traveled earlier than in Italy earlier than visiting Puglia, you’ll know that it’s uncommon to search out these gigantic stadiums proper in the midst of a metropolis! Work continues to be ongoing and excavations are restricted because of the buildings constructed over the foundations.
It’s typically thought the amphitheater was constructed through the 2nd century and hosted gladiatorial video games and different grotesque occasions (no phrase on whether or not there have been any Russell Crowe or Joaquin Phoenix lookalikes current).
The sector is just accessible when it’s internet hosting a particular occasion, however you possibly can see loads of it from the piazza. I notably love the distinction of constructing you’ve got on this a part of Lecce — you possibly can seize historical, Baroque, and mid-century structure in a single photograph!
![Kate wears a green and white patterned dress and stands in front of a boxy orange building in Lecce.](https://www.adventurouskate.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Kate-in-Lecce-Puglia-753x1024.jpg)
Be part of the Night Passeggiata
One of the vital particular issues to do in Lecce is partake in a conventional southern Italy ritual. The passeggiata is when city residents head out for a dusk-time stroll by the historic middle (or alongside the seafront in coastal resorts). It principally attracts a line between the working day and dinnertime, whereas weekends have an much more celebratory ambiance.
I like the passeggiata — it’s the time to see and be seen. You see dad and mom strolling with their youngsters, youngsters goofing off, and older people gossiping with their greatest associates of fifty years.
In Lecce, the standard passeggiata loops round Piazza Sant’Oronzo and Piazza del Duomo. And this isn’t only for summer time (although it’s particularly good then) — passeggiata is a nightly factor in Lecce!
Improve your passeggiata expertise by stopping off for an aperitivo, the nightlife ritual all through Italy. Most bars dish out just a few snacks on the home while you order a drink. I like a spritz at aperitivo — I normally seize an aperol spritz, however the sweeter Hugo is one other Italian traditional!
![A glass of sparkling white wine next to a tangliere (plate of meat and cheese) in Lecce, Italy: topped with several kinds of ham, burrata mozzarella, and other hams and cheeses.](https://www.adventurouskate.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/8AE6390F-67A6-4355-AC75-95A6C6A2588D-30033-00000E265B4BF5AF-1024x701.jpg)
Benefit from the Lecce Wine Bars
When in Italy, drink wine – numerous it. Salento experiences a scorching and dry local weather which, when coupled with a gradual breeze from the Adriatic and Ionian seas, contributes to superior wine-making situations.
Primitivo is a well-liked crimson wine made on this a part of Italy, and it’s additionally one in all my all-time favourite wines. My husband is aware of to mechanically order me a primitivo when he sees it on the menu! It’s deep, versatile, and I feel it goes properly with every kind of meals.
Among the finest issues to do in Lecce at evening is hang around at one of many many wine bars. A number of common ones on the town are Enoteca Wine & Extra (which has just a few totally different areas), Miro Wine & Lounge, Le Vigne di Sammarco, and Shui Wine.
For those who’re a vino aficionado, wine not join a tasting of Salento wines. Led by a service provider with an encyclopedic information of the Puglia area, you’ll pattern six glasses. This shall be a mixture of crimson, white, and rosé alongside complementary nibbles because the sommelier talks by the manufacturing methods.
![People in a cooking class making something in metal bowls.](https://www.adventurouskate.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Cooking-Class-1024x681.jpg)
Take a Cooking Class in Lecce
One of the best ways to get to know any Italian area is thru its meals, and that’s undoubtedly true for Lecce. However a method to go a step additional is to take a neighborhood cooking class and learn to make Pugliese specialties of your personal!
This hands-on orecchiette cooking class exhibits you learn how to make recent pasta from scratch. Orecchiette is ear-shaped pasta typical of Puglia and also you’ll study the artwork of shaping it, cooking it, and devouring it. You’ll additionally take pleasure in a lunchtime tasting of 5 regional wines at this picturesque osteria.
For those who choose pasta for dinner, this traditional home cooking experience takes place within the night.
Final however not least, this three-hour pasta and tiramisu cooking class is a tad pricier as a result of it’s held in a non-public house. You’ll make two pasta dishes and my favourite dessert of all time whereas the Prosecco flows.
![A gnarled olive tree at dusk in Gargano, Italy](https://www.adventurouskate.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0808.jpg)
Pattern Native Olive Oil
Salento wine is second solely to the peppery olive oil made on this a part of southern Italy. It tastes so good you’ll by no means return to the finances stuff!
This olive oil and wine tasting makes issues simpler for you by bringing a chunk of the olive farms to the town middle. At a mellow wine bar, you’ll graze on bruschetta and different snacks drizzled with olive oil recent from the Puglian hills.
Go to the underground Museo Faggiano
The subterranean Museo Faggiano is likely one of the most uncommon sights in Lecce. There wasn’t something to write down house about this home on Through Ascanio Grandi till the flip of the millennium. Throughout routine repairs, the proprietor stumbled upon an unintended archaeological website.
Over 2,500 years of historical past lay within the cellar of this historic constructing, together with a tomb from the times of the Messapian tribe and etchings from the Knights Templar. The museum is solely family-run and tremendous partaking because it has such a mixture of relics.
The Faggiano Museum is open each day from 9:30 AM-8:00 PM and prices 5 EUR ($5.50 USD) to go to.
![A museum with a banner reading Jewish Museum Lecce.](https://www.adventurouskate.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Jewish-Museum-Lecce-Italy-683x1024.jpg)
Tour the Museo Ebraico di Lecce
One other museum for a wet day, the Museo Ebraico di Lecce is the Jewish Museum. Housed under floor in an previous synagogue, the exhibition traces the native Jewish group from the Center Ages to the current day. It incorporates the ritual bathing swimming pools (mikwa’ot) and sacred scriptures (mezuzah).
Admission comes with a information which is helpful as there’s a variety of historical past to chew by. If you’re touring as a pair or group, e-book this private tour of the Jewish Museum Lecce. It lasts 45 minutes and allows you to ask inquiries to your coronary heart’s content material.
The museum is open each day from 10:00 AM-4:00 PM (10:30 AM-1:30 PM on Sundays).
![Rows of sweet pasticicotto tarts topped with powdered sugar.](https://www.adventurouskate.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Pasticicotto-Lecce-Italy-1024x684.jpg)
Snack on pasticciotto
Sightseeing is hungry work and reaching for the carbs is an element and parcel of an Italian trip. Among the finest issues to do in Lecce is to strive pasticciotto — small, stuffed pies a bit just like Portuguese egg tarts — everytime you spy a bakery.
Pasticciotti can be found all through Italy. Fillings embrace custard and ricotta however the Lecce ones have a vanilla-cream core.
Puglians are inclined to eat them for breakfast however they’re there while you want a pick-me-up, too. Pasticciotto are bought everywhere together with the pasticcerie dotted round Villa Comunale, together with Natale and Mignon di Pranzo Benito.
![Hands creating something in papier mache.](https://www.adventurouskate.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Papier-Mache-1024x681.jpg)
Strive your hand at paper-mâché artwork
One of the vital shocking issues about Lecce is its fame for paper-mâché! The Pugliese have long-established decorations utilizing this historical approach because the seventeenth century and also you’ll spot paper-mâché souvenirs throughout city. In actual fact, the ceiling of the Church of Santa Chiara is produced from paper-mâché that imitates wooden.
This paper-mâché workshop is a enjoyable method to spend an hour in Lecce. An expert information will instruct you learn how to craft a mini trinket utilizing paper and glue product of water and flour.
The exercise is designed for all ages and is held within the night, simply because the passeggiata attracts to an in depth.
![An aerial shot of gorgeous Punta Prosciutto in Italy, with people lounging on soft sand in front of the clearest, bright turquoise water.](https://www.adventurouskate.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Punta-Prosciutto-Puglia-Italy-1024x490.jpg)
Go to the close by seashores
Lecce doesn’t have its personal seaside, however the metropolis is a brief drive from the shoreline. For those who hire a automobile you possibly can take your decide of seashores on the peninsula. This actually is the best choice as public transport is time-consuming.
San Cataldo, on the Adriatic coast, is the closest. Bus S16 departs from Villa Comunale and takes 40 minutes. There’s little in the way in which of sights however the seaside is sandy with nice swimming situations and lidos renting umbrellas, within the conventional Italian type. Both take a picnic from Lecce or decide up seafood at one of many informal promenade eateries.
The Ionian Sea is trickier with no rental, however the 104 bus reaches Porto Cesareo in a single hour. Torre Lapillo sits simply north of the buzzing port city and is healthier with a automobile because it’s 35 minutes from Lecce.
An additional 10 minutes north and also you’ll attain Punta Prosciutto, probably the most well-known seashores in Puglia. These two cities within the Bay of Taranto are nicer should you fancy a day of swimming and sunning!
![A city perched on bright turquoise sea, wooden rowboats and people swimming in the water.](https://www.adventurouskate.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Otranto-Italy-1024x683.jpg)
Take a day journey to Otranto
Otranto is a stunning seaside city on the Adriatic coast of Puglia. It’s excellent for a seaside afternoon throughout summer time, however a wander alongside the lungomare works at any time of yr.
Don’t be deceived by the common-or-garden exterior of Otranto Cathedral; the nave is marked by essentially the most extraordinary mosaics! The Fifteenth-century Castello Aragonese stands within the historic middle and allows you to scope out a free spot to put your towel.
Bus quantity 106 connects Lecce Bus Station in a single hour however driving takes 40 minutes. When you’re there, both discover at will or e-book this private Otranto walking tour. It’s a good way to brush up in town’s historical past and listen to tales you’d in any other case miss.
An alternative choice is to bag an area on a tour of Otranto, Leuca, Gallipoli, and Galatina from Lecce. It’s a full-day outing with views galore as your driver handles the driving between these 4 distinct cities. For those who’re trying to pack loads into your restricted time within the Salento area, it is a nice choice.
![Gallipoli, Italy, a city of pastel buildings perched on a soft sand beach with people sunbathing on it, next to clear turquoise water.](https://www.adventurouskate.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Gallipoli-Italy-1024x678.jpg)
Spend a day in Gallipoli
Located on the Ionian coast (and really totally different from the Turkish area of the identical identify), Gallipoli is one other Puglia seaside city value a day journey from Lecce.
Gallipoli’s historic middle floats off the mainland on a fortified limestone island. It’s chock-full of church buildings and lined with sandy seashores. Prioritize the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Purità, which additionally has an unreal degree of ornamentation inside.
Apart from the aforementioned tour of Otranto, Leuca, Gallipoli and Galatina, you possibly can drive the 40 minutes in a rental or hop on the 108 bus, which takes one hour. Simply notice that the bus terminal is a 20-minute stroll from the Greek Fountain that marks the doorway to Gallipoli Vecchia.
![The town of Alberobello, filled with white conical homes topped with gray shale roofs.](https://www.adventurouskate.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/DSC_0983.jpg)
Discover different small cities in Puglia
No two Puglian cities are ever the identical. Solely by renting a automobile or becoming a member of a tour will you see how outstanding this space of southern Italy is.
Bump Ostuni and Alberobello to the highest of your record. Ostuni has a stunning whitewashed previous city that’ll have you ever itching to place Google Maps apart and get completely misplaced.
In the meantime, Alberobello has a excessive focus of trulli: conventional Pugliese dwellings with conical roofs. Alberobello’s assortment of trulli is a UNESCO World Heritage Web site. It takes one hour to achieve Ostuni from Lecce, and from there it’s an additional 45 minutes to Alberobello.
Polignano a Mare is one other Adriatic coastal resort suspended over the turquoise water, and residential to one in all Puglia’s most well-known cliff-hugged seashores. Subsequent door is the extra low-key city of Monopoli, one in all my favourite locations in all of Italy. Each cities are a couple of 90-minute drive from Lecce.
For those who’d somewhat not drive, hand over the reins to this Ostuni, Alberobello, and Polignano a Mare full-day tour. You’ll have free time in every city.
![The city of Matera, Italy, with ancient stone buildings atop a canyon filled with caves.](https://www.adventurouskate.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Matera-Italy-Puglia-Basilicata-1024x681.jpg)
Take a street journey to Matera
Matera is a one-of-a-kind metropolis within the Basilicata area of Italy, simply over the Puglia border. It sits on a rocky outcrop and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Web site as a result of its cave dwellings referred to as sassi. Folks truly lived in these caves as late because the Fifties, with out electrical energy or water, and it was known as Italy’s Disgrace.
Within the Eighties, Matera started growing its tourism, and lots of the sassi had been was luxurious accommodations. At present Matera is a significant hotspot in southern Italy, and is important to Puglia itineraries, regardless of technically not being a part of Puglia.
For those who’re a Bond fan, you’ll acknowledge the backdrop from No Time To Die (which occurred to be filming after I was there!). The Ardour of the Christ was additionally filmed right here.
Matera is fairly far, so it’s solely value visiting as a day journey in case you are staying some time in Lecce. For those who’re splitting your stays between Lecce and someplace additional north, nearer to Bari, like Monopoli or Polignano a Mare, I like to recommend visiting from there.
As there are heaps of fascinating issues to do in Matera, you would possibly need to think about spending an evening there in a cave resort. There are a lot of, starting from inexpensive to luxurious.
It takes 2 hours and quarter-hour to drive to Matera from Lecce.
![A crowded street in Lecce, Italy, with stone buildings topped with wrought-iron balconies.](https://www.adventurouskate.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Street-in-Lecce-Italy-1024x714.jpg)
How a lot time to spend in Lecce
A day or two is ample for seeing the highlights of Lecce with out leaving city. At some point in Lecce is sufficient to discover the historic middle and see the gates, church buildings, Baroque monuments, and amphitheater.
Keep at the least one evening if you wish to responsibly benefit from the wine bars or a pleasant dinner. In any other case, Italy’s Florence of the South is a good contender for a day journey from close by Puglian cities.
I personally beloved spending just a few days in Lecce, and I feel it makes a superb base for a wider exploration of the Salento area. It actually helps that Lecce will get you much more worth for cash than most locations in Italy.
For those who’re driving a automobile and utilizing Lecce as a base, ask your lodging the place you need to park. Like most Italian cities, Lecce has a ZTL (zona traffico limitato), which signifies that solely residents can drive or park within the metropolis middle. Our lodging host gave us instructions to a free car parking zone simply outdoors the town middle.
And don’t overlook to learn my guide to driving in Italy should you’re planning an Italian street journey!
![A narrow alley in Italy, with yellow-painted buildings with green doors and shutters, a lush green plant spilling from a balcony, a motorcycle parked outside.](https://www.adventurouskate.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Narrow-Street-in-Lecce-Puglia-703x1024.jpg)
The right way to get to Lecce
Lecce is accessible through air, rail, and street. The closest airport — recognized interchangeably as Salento and Brindisi Airport (BDS) — is positioned 30 miles north alongside the coast. It takes 45 minutes to drive to Lecce by rental automobile, whereas buses take 40 minutes and value 6 EUR ($5.50 USD). For those who’re already in Brindisi, you possibly can catch a Trenitalia practice, which takes 24 minutes flat.
That stated, there aren’t a ton of flights from Brindisi Airport. Bari Airport (BRI) is a bigger airport in Puglia with extra considerably extra flight choices, however an extended switch. (That is the place I fly into when visiting Puglia.)
Driving time from Bari Airport to Lecce is 1 hour and 45 minutes, and I like to recommend breaking apart your drive with a cease in Ostuni. Trains from Bari Centrale take 1 hour 45 minutes, with a change at Brindisi.
Excessive-speed Frecciarossa trains join Lecce with Rome (Roma) in 5.5 hours, Florence (Firenze) in round 8 hours, and even Turin (Torino) in round 11 hours. I am keen on these quick trains (and their enterprise class is so luxe!), however they are often costly and get costlier nearer to your journey date. I like to recommend reserving prematurely.
General, I like to recommend exploring Puglia by automobile if potential. You’ll be capable to go to essentially the most locations, have loads of flexibility, and never have to fret about strikes or cancellations.
![A street in Lecce with a mix of baroque and modern buildings, street cafes below, bicycles parked nearby.](https://www.adventurouskate.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Lecce-Italy-City-Center-1024x666.jpg)
The place to remain in Lecce
The most effective a part of Lecce to remain in is the historic metropolis middle. This fashion, you’ll have all of the baroque landmarks at arm’s size and your first selection of the place to eat. And since Lecce is an affordable vacation spot by Italian requirements, splurging a bit extra right here will get you much more on your cash than, say, Florence.
Luxurious: Reside like a Medici at Palazzo Console! This freshly renovated property has a swimming pool and is a stone’s throw from Piazza del Duomo. All 5 rooms are individually embellished with premium linens and marble bogs — two have the bonus of a non-public hydromassage spa.
Midrange: Santacroce Luxury Rooms is a contemporary resort across the nook from the amphitheater. It’s minimalism galore: suppose clear strains and an emphasis on consolation. Good for households or touring associates, the suites have a balcony primed for people-watching over morning espresso.
Finances: Cocoon your self away at this atmospheric mattress and breakfast in a historic constructing characterised by uncovered pietra leccese. B&B Antiche Volte is correct within the coronary heart of Lecce. Rooms are cozy, the breakfast is top-notch, and the web site swears it’s ghost-free.
![Modern buildings in Lecce, with huge stone ruins in front, obscuring their view.](https://www.adventurouskate.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Lecce-Italy-Ruins-and-City-1024x687.jpg)
Finest Time to Go to Lecce
My golden rule of Italy journey is to keep away from peak summer time journey at any time when potential. If you need a summer time journey, you should have a a lot simpler and fewer crowded time in early June or late September than peak July or August. And since Puglia has a protracted summer time season, you possibly can take pleasure in swimming as early as late Might or as late as mid-October.
Shoulder season is a superb time to go to Puglia, and I feel that is the most effective should you’re curious about exploring historic websites, ruins, and fascinating cities. April and October are notably beautiful.
Winter isn’t a foul time to go to Lecce; the truth is, I’ve a buddy who hopped on an affordable flight from Prague to Bari and had a ball visiting Puglia’s Christmas markets in December! Some smaller seaside resorts shall be closed down, however it is a nice time for visiting Lecce in addition to Matera, Bari, and Alberobello.
Simply don’t anticipate it to be seaside climate, until you need to take part with that one previous dude in a speedo who jumps within the water one year a yr (there’s one in each city).
![Kate smiling, wearing sunglasses and a green dress while sitting at a street cafe, eating a sandwich that contains horse meat.](https://www.adventurouskate.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Kate-Sandwich-in-Lecce-Italyl-1024x695.jpg)
Is Lecce Value It?
I like Lecce and I feel it’s such a particular, lovely place. I like the easiness of the city, I like the bizarre mixture of structure, and I like the worth for cash you get right here.
Puglia is an space of Italy that I like dearly, and although Europeans have been visiting Puglia for fairly a while, it appears to be catching on a bit extra slowly with Individuals. Let me let you know that that is an impressive a part of Italy to go to — and really totally different from the standard Rome-Florence-Venice route.
I hope you think about making Lecce part of your journey to Italy. I actually suppose you’re going to like it!
Extra on Puglia, Italy:
Planning a Journey to Italy:
Cool Locations in Southern Italy:
Cool Locations in Northern Italy:
Have you ever been to Lecce Italy? Any suggestions? Share away!
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