Lecce- Florence of the South

Old Town Lecce

We leave our apartment in Ugento at 9:20am and have a 45 minute drive to Lecce which is known as the Florence of the south.

The old city does not disappoint. Golden tinted buildings with intricate ,baroque  embellishments are everywhere you look. This is what you imagine Italy to be.

Piazza Sant’Oronz

After parking we head to Piazza Sant’Oronz which is home to the Roman Amphitheater which was built in the second century. A statue of Saint Oronz, the patron saint of Lecce, watches over the amphitheater which in it’s day held 25,000 spectators.

Piazza del Duomo

We make our way to the Piazza del Duomo which is breathtaking. I can’t stop taking pictures. Click here for a short video.

We start at the Seminary Museum which is home to many religious items and artwork…some rather disturbing.  We buy our church pass which gets us into Lecce’s most visited churches.

Also on the square is the Cathedral of our Lady of Assumption; built in 1144 and renovated in 1659. It’s a mix of Romanesque and Baroque architecture. The crypt is really interesting with all the unique carvings on the pillars. 

The Bell Tower is next door.

Churches of Lecce

The other churches we look at are San Matteo, Santa Chiara and the most beautiful Santa Croce.

Archeological Museum Faggiano

John and I go to the Archeological Museum Faggiano which houses excavations from Roman, medieval and Renaissance periods. It is a small museum so it doesn’t take long.

It is very hot so we go for lunch at a cafe where I try a local favourite; horse stew (tastes like beef).

Porta Napoli

By the time we reach the Porta Napoli (triumphal arch gate), Louise and I are back to being hot and pooped. The gate is majestic and built in the 1500s.

Playground Misadventures

I can barely drag myself to the public gardens where we try out the children’s play area. It is all fun and games until Louise falls off the teeter totter. We have used up the last of our energy so we stop in a gelataria for some sustenance to get us to where we parked our car. The gelato is all home made. Nothing like home made gelato.

17th Century Trulli Accomodations

We drive an hour and a half to Martina Franca  (ok Lance drives and I sleep). We pick up some groceries on the way.

We get to the location Google maps is showing for our Airbnb but cannot find it.  We are looking for a green gate on Via Chiafele. Addresses with street numbers are not common in rural areas. John calls Paola, our host, and then we stop the car so John can go up to two ladies sitting in front of their home. John hands them the phone and they tell Paola where we are. Google had us on the wrong road. Paola tells us to stay put & drives over to us and we follow her back to the Airbnb about 5 minutes away.

We are staying in a trulli (buildings with pointy topped conical stone roofs distinctive to the area). Our trulli has been in the same family since the 1600s.  The other half of the estate is leased to farmers. I hear cows but don’t smell them. We are backed by a field of fruit trees and we are welcome to pick as much as we want.

We have a supper of fresh pasta and salad on our patio. Dessert consists of grapes, milka biscuits and fresh figs from the garden. Such a wonderful day.