The Piazza is stylish , the Piazza Oronzo is ideal to enjoy evening entertainment in the piazza and enjoy an ice cream or a drink and Via Umberto is the perfect place to enjoy an evening 'passegiata' There are plenty of shops, bars and restaurants both in Via Umberto and off onto the side streets. Sip a glass of prosecco in one of the many bars and watch all the 'bella gente' pass by , there is plenty of atmosphere in this vibrant city.
This info is hard to find so I’m posting it here. We really wanted to come to the Centro Storico Lecce but couldn’t figure it out until Martina Franca. Sometimes it’s trains and sometimes buses in Martina Franca area. But this was a train rifled and was very efficient. It dropped us off outside the town. It was a 15 min walk to the Centro Storico. This was a good option for a pleasant day in Lecce. There’s enough to do here to fill an afternoon. Good restaurants too. Not just pizza!
Known as the Florence of the south of Italy and having been to both, Lecce was my favourite. A great many historic sites and a maze of narrow atmospheric streets made for a great stay. Great base to explore the rest of Puglia.
This is a great city to view baroque architecture and beautiful churches. Very nice to walk around, many nice restaurants.
During our short visit to Lecce our guide organized a walking tour for us, so we were able to enjoy the magnificent Baroque architecture in the historical center of Lecce.
We started our walking tour at the obelisk from the XIX. century and after passing the the Porta Napoli (the Triumphal Arch) we turned right in the Via Giuseppe Palmieri and saw the circular church of Santa Maria della Porta.
The Baroque palaces in that street are really wonderful, full of little details, even the bottom parts of the balconies have elaborate decorations!
Before arriving to the Piazza del Duomo, we turned right again and after passing the little church of Santa Teresa, we proceeded to see one of the architectural gems of Lecce, the Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista. Unfortunately, the facade was under renovation, so the scaffolding prevented us from seeing it properly.
Fortunately we could visit and enjoy the superb Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta and the Piazza del Duome!
We continued our tour along the Via Vittorio Emanuele II and after passing the beautiful Chiesa di Santa Irene, we arrived to the Piazza Sant'Oronzo, with the statue of the saint, who saved Lecce from the plague, on a high column.
What is left of the Roman amphitheater on that square is more than enough to convince anybody of the importance of this city in that era!
After seeing the little Chiesa di San Marco, we went to the busy Via XXV Luglio, turned left and after about 200 m we arrived to the Palazzo dei Celestini, a former convent. It is nowadays the governmental seat of the Province of Lecce. We visited only the courtyard of it.
Next to the palace is the Basilica di Santa Croce, but unfortunately it was also under renovation and we could not see the facade. We continued our tour to see the fantastic Chiesa del Gesù, another Baroque gem and our favorite!
We ended our walking tour in front of the stunning Palazzo Carafa! All these architectural masterpieces were simply overwhelming... We absolutely have to return to Lecce in the future not just for a few hours, but for a few days and devote enough time to these buildings!
