Lecce
- Enchanting atmosphere: Piazza del Duomo in the light of dusk (Foto: Enit)
- Close contact with antiquity: the Roman Amphitheatre in Lecce.
Fascinating history …
The fascinating capital of the Salento is worth more than just a short visit, because it is here as nowhere else that you can retrace the various epochs of Apulia's history.
Built in the 2nd century, the Roman Amphitheatre near Piazza Sant'Oronzo seated up to
20 000 spectators – Lecce, at the time, was the second most important harbour of the Empire at the Adriatic Sea.
In the 16th century, under the rule of Charles V, the town regained new splendour.
- At night, the buildings of the Old Town display an extraordinary charm: here the bell tower of the cathedral (Foto: Enit).
…pompously staged
At that time and into the 18th century, numerous buildings were put up in the Lecce Baroque style.
The magnificent colours and forms of this style can be admired on the outside of and inside such buildings as the cathedral, the Chiesa del Rosario or the Chiesetta San Marco.
Flourishing cultural life and …
The great joy of living reflected in the architectural elements and decorations of these buildings characterizes the inhabitants of Lecce and the inhabitants of the Salento region in general up to the present day.
Flourishing cultural life, a multitude of small shops, Old Town trattorias serving typical Salento dishes in a charming ambience – Lecce takes its visitors, as it were, by storm and wants to be enjoyed with leisure.
- The cathedral of Santa Croce may well be the most impressing edifice from the times of the Lecce Baroque.
... traditional handicraft
Lecce particularities are the statues of saints and nativity figures made of "cartapesta", of papier-mâché. Compared to figures made of stone and wood, they are easier to carry in processions.
They are still produced the old way, with the right feeling and with passion, in about 20 workshops in the Old Town.
Nearest sandy beach: San Cataldo.
Nearest train station: Lecce.
+49 / (0)941 / 56 76 46-0
