Welcome to the heel of Italy's boot! Lecce is also known as the Florence of the south, due to its baroque architecture. You will have the chance to enjoy many gothic-style buildings, for art lovers to be served! And for those who prefer the beach, kitesurfing... Lecce is not far from the Adriatic Sea!
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What not to miss?
Amphitheatre of Lecce
Situated near Piazza Sant'Oronzo, it was created between the 1st and 2nd centuries. Before going to visit it, check on the internet that it is open because this isn’t always, because, among other things, they host events inside. But anyway, you can see a big part of the amphitheater from the outside.
You can go and visit the hidden Roman Theater in 3 minutes by walk from the Amphitheater. You must ask yourself why we say that this is a hidden place! Well, simply because the Theater is hidden between buildings, so you need to know where you are going, or you won’t find it!
Cathedral of Lecce
It is one of the most important cathedrals in southern Italy. Discover the beautiful cathedral both inside and out.
Punta Prosciutto & Porto Selvaggio
Go to the beach of Punta Proscuitto, with its water blue/green! Moreover, if you have young children, this beach is perfect because the bottom of the water is shallow!
Visit Porto Selvaggio , with its beautify parc with lots of Aleppo pines! Visit inside of the parc the Grotta del Cavallo (the Horse Cave) or its three defensive towers (Torre dell'Alto, Torre Inserraglio, and Torre Uluzzu).
What else to visit?
MUST- Historical Museum of the City of Lecce
While you are walking through the Historical Center of the city, go visit the MUST which before being a museum, was a monastery.
Castle of Charles V
Known as Castello di Lecce, it was built in the Middle Age and then renovated by Charles V in 1539. The castle has been used in different ways over the ages (secondary royal residence, a part as theater, as a military district…).
St Oronzo Square
While walking in the city, you must pass by this square which is one of the most d’août of the city. It is dedicated to the Saint Patron of the city since 1656, it was at this time that the statue of St Oronzo was put in the square.
Basilica of the Holy Cross
If you like the Baroque style you should visit the Basilica di Santa Croce of the 17th Century.
You will be impressed by its beauty, especially inside!
How to travel there?
To go to Lecce you have lots of different options :
By plane: you have two airports not too far from Lecce, that will allow you to come from inside of Italy, as Internationally. The first one is the airport of Bari where you can then take the bus, the train. Then you have the airport of Brindisi, and same you can take the bus or the train to go to Lecce.
You can also take the bus from lots of cities in Italy, but also from Italy's neighboring countries.
You can take the train to go to Lecce, even from Paris, you have two trains per day, and it’s around 18h30 transportation (prepare comfy clothes for a long trip like that).
Average costs
The cost of living for a tourist here isn’t really different from the rest of Italy.
You can find a meal in the restaurant between 10-20€ easily.
For the accommodation, you can find easily hotels/hostels for around 40€ per night, but in general, it will be low quality, this is more for the money saver. If you have a medium budget, you can find also better hotels for around 80€.
As for the transportation, a bus ticket is 1€, but it can go down to 0,9€ and go up to 2€.
When to travel there?
To choose when to go to Lecce, we advise you to take into account these criteria:
The rainiest months are April, November, and December; while June, July, and August are the months with the less rainy days of the year. As for the warmest months, they are between June and September.
Don’t forget that July/August, are the busiest months of the year because of the summer holidays!
So, we advise you to go more in May, June or September to still have good weather, and without too many tourists.
Where to eat?
To start well your day in Lecce, go take your breakfast at La Rustica, take some vitamin D by sitting on the terrace while tasting a pasticiotto, and drink an orange juice, nothing more typical that this pastry!
To continue your day, go for lunch or dinner at the Doppiozero in the historical center, and taste the good typical cuisine of the region!
If you are interested in the typical food there, read our article about the food in the Puglia region.
Events
Campanelle Fair (May)
This event takes place at the end of May and puts in honor of the bells. Many artisans are coming and exhibiting artifacts linked to the bells.
Feast of Sant’Oronzo (August)
At the end of August, Lecce celebrates all its the patron saints of the city Oronzo, Giusto, and Fortunato. During these 3 days of events, you have religious processions, and also an amusement park built for the happiness of lots of children.
Santa Lucia Fair (December)
Known as Fera de li pupi in Lecce, this fair honors the Nativity, by making the nativity scene in handmade terracotta and papier-mâché artifacts.
We hope that you liked this article about Lecce! Discover more articles like visiting Bari and Monopoli which are also in the same region, but also visiting Palermo and Catania in Sicily, or follow us on Instagram @thewalkingparrot to know when other articles will be published!
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