You are about to leave for Leccein Puglia and are you wondering what are the things to see and what you absolutely cannot miss? This is the guide for you. We thought we'd tell you some curiosities about the city of Salento and point out the main places of interest that the city offers. You can therefore remove any doubts about it what to visit in Lecce and what to see, also with the Lecce city card.
Visit Lecce in its entirety it takes some time, but if you only have one day available you will still be able to see the main things, organizing your tour in time. Let's start by saying that it is indeed a city rich in works of art dating back to the Roman, medieval and Renaissance times but Lecce is essentially a baroque city.
1 Piazza Duomo
From Piazza Sant'Oronzo, following some picturesque alleys, you arrive at piazza del Duomo. It is a very large pizza which presents, in front of the only access, the Duomo in Lecce baroque style. In the square there is also the Seminar, Campanile and the Bishop's Palace. Lecce Cathedral Square it is an obligatory stop for those who want to visit the splendid city of Salento.
2 Historic center of Lecce
Historic center of Lecce: by visiting this part of the city, you will be able to realize how much baroque art has influenced the architecture of this place. The buildings are decorated in a decisive manner and the Lecce stone stands out, making this area of the city warm and evocative: the golden color that characterizes the houses, the churches, the monuments stands out from everything else, making the atmosphere of the city almost surreal. TO Lecce, the historic center represents the real heart of the city, and it is precisely there that some of the most important places of historical, religious and tourist interest are located: the Church of Santa Maria della Provvidenza, il Adorno Palace, la Basilica of the Holy Cross e la Piazza Sant'Oronzo, the city's living room where we will also find the lively life of Lecce in the evening.
3 Castle of Charles V in Lecce
Il Castle of Charles V in Lecce it stands near Piazza Sant'Oronzo and is one of the symbols of Lecce. Formerly used as a defensive point of the city, it is currently the seat of the Culture Department of the Municipality of Lecce. Inside today there are periodically exhibitions, cultural activities and events. You can also visit the fortress with guided tours that will take you to discover the rooms of the Castle and the Papier-mâché Museum. Without a shadow of a doubt a site to be included in the list "Lecce: places of interest".
4 Roman amphitheater of Lecce and Piazza Sant'Oronzo
THE Roman amphitheater in Lecce it is currently used as a setting for concerts and cultural events, the amphitheater is the strongest testimony of the Roman influence in the Apulian city. It is one of the places that absolutely must be visited. The amphitheater stands on the eastern edge of the Roman city and dates back to the Augustan age. The monument has an elliptical plan with the main axis arranged in an east-west direction and could hold up to a maximum of 14.000 spectators. Thanks to the excavations carried out, numerous architectural elements in marble and elements of sculptural decoration of the building were recovered, such as the group of "chalice" capitals and some bas-reliefs with scenes of venationes.
Churches of Lecce and places of worship
5 Basilica of the Holy Cross
La Basilica of the Holy Cross it is one of the most important monuments of the city and is the clear representation of how much baroque art has dominated over the years and influenced the architecture of the Salento city. A visit to this Basilica must be included in the list "What to do in Lecce".
6 Church of San Francesco della Scarpa
La church of San Francesco della Scarpa in Lecce it was built in the XNUMXth century, on land owned by the family Guarini and was then renovated between 1699 and 1714. The absence of a richly decorated external facade, like most of the churches in Lecce, gave it the nickname "church without a facade".
Lecce: see also
Museums in Lecce and art galleries
7 MUSA- Historical Archaeological Museum, Lecce
“Il Historical-Archaeological Museum (MUSA) ofUniversity of Salento, inaugurated in June 2007, was created as part of the Coordinated Plan of University of Catania and Lecce (IN20 Initiative) and financed by Ministry of the University e of Scientific Research (MIUR) and byXNUMX-XNUMX business days within the 1994/1999 and 2000/2006 NOPs. The MUSA was born as an exhibition structure aimed at the valorisation, educational use and dissemination of research conducted, over several decades, by archaeologists and ancient historians of the University of Salento. The exhibition intends to retrace the fundamental stages of the research paths developed by the ancient history and archeology sector of the University of Lecce and, at the same time, offer an updated panorama of the horizons of investigation - from prehistory to the Middle Ages, from Salento to the Eastern Mediterranean – and the resources it currently has in terms of skills, instruments and laboratory equipment.”
8 Sigismondo Castromediano Provincial Museum
The types of materials preserved in the museum are: numismatic goods; archaeological finds; anthropological finds; demo-ethnoanthropological assets; works and objects of art; drawings; photos; contemporary works of art. The museum is characterized by the multiplicity of its collections divided into as many sections: prehistoric, archaeological, medieval, baroque, nineteenth and twentieth century Salento. The archaeological collections come from excavations at the end of the nineteenth century and were enriched with excavation campaigns financed by the Province of Lecce (Roca, Rudiae, Cavallino, Poggiardo). They allow us to offer an organic panorama of the Messapian civilization in Salento from the XNUMXth century. BC Purchases, donations and deposits have enriched its consistency and classes (Attic, Apulian, local vases, bronzes, terracottas, inscriptions). The historical-artistic sections have created an art gallery (Venetian polyptychs from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, Neapolitan painting from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century, ceramics, glass, fabrics, silver from the Baroque age) and the section "Salento Artists between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries".
9 Museum of the Roman Theater, Lecce
“Attached to the theater, the museum of the Roman Theater of Lecce it was set up by the Memmo Foundation, in some rooms of the prestigious seventeenth-century palace that belonged to the Romano family. The museum, in addition to containing finds from the excavations carried out in the first half of the last century which brought the ancient monument to light, also houses an exhibition entitled "Roma". The scene of life” created in collaboration with the Archaeological Superintendency of Rome and the Archaeological Superintendency of Puglia, which illustrates the theme of scenography and illusionistic representation in the Roman world. The series of nine theatrical masks from Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli is of great scenic effect. Finally, thanks to a model, it is possible to see the reconstruction of a large urban area of Lupiae (ancient Lecce) in the Roman imperial age.”
10 Lecce Children's Museum
Il Rays Museum of Lecce it is a "non-museum museum", set up according to modern theories of museum education, made up of copies, reconstructions, reproductions of prehistoric objects. A guiding character, Mister Caveman, reproduced on the explanatory panels, recounting the origins of man and his cultural evolution in his comics, contextualizes the objects on display, inserting them in a journey that reaches up to the early Iron Age.
Other museums in Lecce
- Papyrological Museum
- Environment Museum
- Museum of popular traditions Cerrate Abbey
- Chinese Missionary and Natural History Museum
- Franciscan art gallery of the Friars Minor of Lecce
11 What to buy in Lecce
Lecce it's a little Eldorado even for theArtistic craftsmanship, especially the processing of cartapesta, arte povera, which has its roots in Seventeenth century. In Via Vittorio Emanuele, there are several laboratories, including that of Claudio Riso, where it is possible to follow the various stages of production and admire works with sacred and profane subjects. Next to the Church of Jesus, the permanent market exhibition of typical crafts appears, the right place to buy them piñatas, the characteristic pottery col rooster drawing; while for objects, lamps and other furnishing accessories in Lecce stone it is worth dropping by tracesin Court of the Romiti and Petra Aurea, in the center via Palmieri.
Lecce in brief: how to get there and where to eat
12 How to get to Lecce
If you want to reach Lecce by plane, keep in mind that the closest airport in Lecce I say Toast which is about 30 km from the city centre, which you can reach by taxi, by renting a car or thanks to the really well-organised bus service.
13 What to eat in Lecce
We strongly advise you to taste the typical Salento dishesespecially the rustic leccese, made up of two discs of puff pastry filled with mozzarella, tomato, bechamel and nutmeg. How not to mention the puccia, typical bread, to be enjoyed plain or stuffed. Another traditional dish not to be missed during your holiday in Salento is the pasticciotto Leccese, to be eaten strictly hot, freshly baked, to accompany a cup of Salento coffee.
14 Where to eat in Lecce
There are many restaurants in Lecce where you will be able to enjoy excellent food. Between one visit and another (the Duomo and its splendid square closed on three sides; there Basilica of S. Croce with the lace-sculpted façade and the adjacent one governament Palace; Piazza Sant'Oronzo, heart of city life, with the remains of a Roman amphitheater…), it is very pleasant to mingle with the people of Lecce, take part in their small daily rituals: a coffee or an aperitif at Caffè Alvino (also B&B), historic bar in Piazza Sant'Oronzo in front of the Amphitheater; a small glass of rosolio with a piece of quince jelly Bar della Cotognata Leccese near the castle; a full immersion among the pasticciotti (shortcrust pastry dumplings filled with custard), the fruttoni with almond paste and the creamy ice creams of the Christmas pastry shop, in via Trinchese. And a stop at Valentina, in via Petronelli, popular for extra virgin taralli, orecchiette, preserves and jams.
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