This time we're in the baroque city of Lecce known as the Florence of the south of Italy,
there's lots to see and do so let's get going!
Lecce is a cosmopolitan university city and the provincial capital of the region Puglia. Whilst
you might not have the wonderful coastal views that we've seen in previous episodes
in our series this really is an exciting photogenic city to spend some time in.
Nicknamed the Florence of the south for its baroque architecture and general sophistication.
You can get to Lecce from Brindisi international airport in about half an hour or you can hire
a car for about 30 or 40 euros a day just be aware that parking is a bit difficult in the
town so unless your hotel has got private parking then you might be better off coming by train.
You can also get a taxi or a bus from Brindisi the prices are on the screen now.
So we're staying at the Torre del Parco hotel which is a historical tourist attraction in
its own right. It's a fantastic hotel and if you want to see more about that
and now stay here then click on the link top right now.
It's a nice 10-minute easy walk from the hotel to the old town.
There are three old gates that act as entrances to the old town and we're heading to one of them now.
Lecce doesn't have a real must-do list of things to see and tick off as tourist attractions
which in some way makes it quite refreshing. As you head into the old historical town area
you'll find hidden gems in the cobblestone lanes, like baroque churches,
half-revealed roman ruins, family-run restaurants and outdoor cafes.
We'll take you around all the things we found most interesting on our 2 day stop here.
So Lecce stone is known throughout the world. It's a form of limestone and it's sort of
yellow in colour and what's really nice is at night in the old town as the lights come on
it gives a sort of like a warming glow, and you'll see that a bit later on when we walk around.
There are many churches in Lecce this one Saint Matthew dates back to the 17th century
and dominates the crossroads to a number of streets
the outside style was quite beautiful. There was an admission fee for this one
so we didn't go inside. Other churches are free. So if you buy your ticket from here,
nine euros, then you can visit the four different churches and cathedrals in the city.
So this time of day theres not many people out and about because it's
coming up to lunchtime it's very hot things sort of close between one and half-past five
and then the town really comes alive after that sort of a bit later on so
whilst it's a nice quiet time to walk around it is extremely hot so you need to try and
zip in and out of the shade to make the most of it but it's still worth being out about.
Finding the shade Will? You trying to find the shade? YEH!
Just stumbled across this it's called the Teatro Romano, it's another kind of open-air theatre which
they seem to be using leaf blowers on for some reason. Well they're cleaning the floors Will! This
is the really cool thing about Lecce, you stumbled upon unexpected things all the time and this was
hidden down a tiny back street, pretty cool. We'll put a link to it on the map in our description
if you're feeling like a snack there are loads of cafes and cake shops
just make sure you try one of the traditional custard cream cakes.
They look like the pies and the pastry just melts away. They are scrumpious!
Want something a bit more alcoholic, then pop into a free wine tasting
and just pretend you want to buy something.
So behind me is the Roman amphitheatre
in the center of Lecce, that was built in the second century a.d and only rediscovered
back at the beginning of the 19th century when they're excavating and since then they've sort of
excavated out and they continue to do so today to improve it but as you can see it's pretty amazing
and they use it for events and things like that during the summer.
Whichever gate you enter the old city from all roads lead to Rome as they say.
In this case the roman amphitheatre and the impressive piazza Sant'Oronzo
calm and relaxing in the day and vibrant and full of atmosphere at night as you'll see later.
Here you can also see the tall column of Sant'Oronzo the patron
Saint of Lecce and the Cedille, the seat of Lecce now the local tourist office.
As you walk up one of the shopping streets just off of Sant'Oronzo Piazza
you see the Church St Irene in the distance. Built some four centuries ago,
it's one of the free to visit religious sites and worth stopping inside.
Whilst it may appear a relatively plain interior there are some interesting carvings, figurines and
frescoes. St Irene was the previous patron Saint to Lecce before Oronzo took her place.
As the clock strikes 12 and a peal of bells start, we arrive at Piazza del Duomo.
This stupendous square is home to Lecce Cathedral one of the four churches on the nine euro ticket
we talked about earlier. A masterpiece of baroque architecture the inside is supposed to be stunning
but we were worn out after all the churches we'd seen over the past few weeks on our
trip so decided not to venture inside. It's a highly recommended place to visit.
As we reach the north side of the old town you can see one of the other gate entrances.
A rather plain entrance to the city, it was erected as a monument to Charles V
who protected and increased the defences of Lecce including adding the castle that we'll see later.
Through the gate we spotted an obelisk at the end of a small manicured park
positioned on what is now rather busy traffic roundabout it originates from
1822 and is decorated on all four sides with carvings, this took us out of the old
town on a short detour to what looked like an entrance to a park so we decided to investigate.
So we stumbled upon this little garden. We thought it was a garden but actually it's some
sort of monastery stroke sort of cemetery area and it's really peaceful sort of on the outskirts
of town we'll put a link in the description because i don't think it's one of those ones that
most tourists would come and see.
but they've got like a mausoleum's
in the in the cemetery area and it just reminds me a little bit of Recoleta when we were in
Argentina. Sadly it was before we started our channel so we don't have a video on that one,
but really nice, gets you out the sun for a little bit so look that one up.
Just walking around town and we've come across Lecce Castle.
Castille Castello Costello de Lecce. It's kind of run-down. I think you can pay to go inside
but it looks pretty closed up today really we've just walked around the perimeter of it.
It's not really our thing, to be honest but there is one here if you fancy it.
There is an interesting fountain outside the castle made in bronze from pipe organ tubes.
Created by Antonio Mizota, winner of a public competition to celebrate the installation
of a viaduct bringing water into Lecce. The installation is known as the fountain of harmony.
They say that mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.
Well us Englishmen are out in the midday sun but at least we're carrying some water with us!
Slowing the pace down take a moment to just watch and see the locals of Lecce going about
their business. Have a late lunch or stop for an aperol and chill out at one of the outdoor cafes.
For something equally as relaxing head over to the Giuseppe Garibaldi public gardens, a few streets
away from Piazza Sant'oronzo, this is a tranquil place to spend a late afternoon wandering around
the fountains, garden paths and flower beds in between interesting structures and busts.
So if you only got a few hours in Lecce then you want to try and be
here in the evening because the place comes alive. Everybody's out and about
you've got the lights and everything that's going on in the city to enjoy so let's go check it out.
After a siesta the shops and restaurants open again around half-past five for the
evening trade and the streets become filled with market traders, buskers
and everyone looking for a good time and good food. The yellow lighting fills the
streets and it's a joy to be walking around the old town and seeing it from a different
perspective.
A place we missed during the day was the Church of the Holy Cross. It suddenly appeared through
the narrow streets and at night had a mysterious feel the architecture is quite beautiful.
This is one of the places on the nine euro ticket we spoke about earlier. You really do need to
stop and take in the design and ornately decorated cherubs and bunches of fruit.
It's attached to the Convent of Celestini apparently, the cloisters inside are not something
to be missed and quite stunning amazingly. Now it's used as a government building. What a place to work!
We haven't spoken much about food so far. The choices as you would expect
are endless in this large city. Visiting in August made it quite busy and we used
TripAdvisor to help us decide on a place to eat. We made sure we booked in advance to
avoid disappointment we both turned out to be incredible we'll put links in the description.
What have you got? Burrata with cured meats,
And more selection of the cured meat, some sausages and some cheeses and that's served with honey
breads and bits. I don't remember what this is called but it's like a local Pulia thing
with some sun-dried tomatoes and more cheese and like kind of crunchy bread bits.
What next? Some unpronounceable shaped pasta named pasta with broccoli and melted burrata on top of some
sundry, with sun-dried cherry tomatoes all being washed down by this local tipple from Puglia.
On the second night we had an exceptional meal in the tiny atmospheric restaurant of Tabisca.
That is the mozzarella, and that the burrata.
this is 24 months old aged ham.
This was followed by incredible anchovy and garlic toast for me and Will had tuna sun-dried tomato.
slow-cooked pork leg that just melted away
and a small chocolate dolce de leche dessert. Wonderful!
So we're back in piazza del duomo. Much busier in the evenings, when we were here in the afternoon
dead! It was so hot, now it's a beautiful temperature.
They light up all the buildings up at night time, it's really beautiful.
Straciatella
When your in Lecce, or course you've got to get a Gelato. Anywhere in Italy for that fact.
I've gone for a Straciatella, which is like a chocolate chip
Really thick, really creamy, delicious!
So that's about it guys. We hope you've been watching
over the last three or four weeks, our different guides to the Puglia region and if you're new and
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bye-bye