The largest cultural centre on the Salento peninsula, Lecce offers a rich artistic and cultural heritage. With several monuments dating back to the Roman and medieval ages, Lecce mostly pertains to the Renaissance period, that is why it is called the “baroque capital” or “southern Florence”. However, the baroque in Lecce has a very peculiar style derived from the use of the local brittle stone, which can be easily manufactured and which skilled stonemasons modelled in elegant and beautiful decorations.
The most impressive example of Lecce baroque virtuosity is the majestic basilica of Santa Croce built between 1549 and 1695. However, not only in the churches and monuments of Lecce can we admire the skills and creativity of the ancient artisans, but also in the balconies and terraces of the private houses in the historical centre: masks, volutes, representations of saints, caryatids and scenographic illustrations decorate the consoles of the balconies and the façades of the aristocratic palaces in Lecce. In Lecce you should visit the monumental complex of Piazza del Duomo, surrounded by beautiful baroque buildings, while among the Roman monuments we should mention the Roman Amphitheatre in Piazza Sant’Oronzo and the Roman Theatre, both built in the second century a.C. Among the numerous churches of Lecce, we should remember San Niccolò e Cataldo, built in 1180, completely frescoed and adjacent to an abbey with two wonderful cloister-garths.
(Bed and Breakfast & Agritourism)
Otranto - Santa Maria di Leuca Natural Park
Salento - Puglia