What to See in Lecce, the Baroque City of Salento

You are about to leave for Lecce, in Puglia and you are wondering what are the things to see and what you absolutely cannot miss? This is the guide for you. We have thought of telling you some curiosities about the Salento city and pointing out the main places of interest that the city offers. So, you can clear all your doubts about what to visit in Lecce and what to see, even with the Lecce city card.

Visiting Lecce in its entirety requires some time, but if you only have one day available, you will still be able to see the main attractions by organizing your tour in advance. Let’s start by saying that it is indeed a city rich in artworks dating back to the Roman, medieval, and Renaissance periods, but Lecce is essentially a Baroque city.

1 Piazza Duomo

From Piazza Sant’Oronzo, following some picturesque alleys, you reach Piazza del Duomo. It is a very large square presenting, opposite the only entrance, the Duomo in Lecce Baroque style. The square also hosts the Seminary, the Bell Tower, and the Bishop’s Palace. Piazza Duomo of Lecce is a must-see for anyone wanting 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 realize how much Baroque art has influenced the architecture of this place. The buildings are decorated in a strong way, and the Lecce stone stands out, making this area of the city warm and evocative: the golden coloration that characterizes the houses, churches, and monuments stands out from everything else, making the city’s atmosphere almost surreal. In Lecce, the historic center represents the true heart of the city, and it is there that some of the most important historical, religious, and tourist attractions are located: the Church of Santa Maria della Provvidenza, the Adorno Palace, the Basilica of Santa Croce and the Piazza Sant’Oronzo, the city’s lounge where you will also find the lively evening life of Lecce.

3 Charles V Castle in Lecce

The Charles V Castle in Lecce 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 Cultural Department of the Municipality of Lecce. Inside, there are periodic exhibitions, cultural activities, and events. You can visit the fortress also with guided tours that will take you through the rooms of the Castle and the Cartapesta Museum. Without a doubt, a site to include on the list “Lecce: places of interest.”

4 Roman amphitheater of Lecce and Piazza Sant’Oronzo

The Roman amphitheater of Lecce is currently used as a setting for concerts and cultural events; the amphitheater is the strongest testimony of Roman influence in the Apulian city. It is one of the places that must absolutely be visited. The amphitheater stands on the eastern edge of the Roman city and dates back to the Augustan age. The monument is elliptic in shape with the major axis oriented east-west and could accommodate up to a maximum of 14,000 spectators. Thanks to excavations carried out, numerous architectural elements in marble and sculptural decoration elements of the building have been recovered, such as the group of “chalice” capitals and some bas-reliefs with venationes scenes.

Churches of Lecce and Places of Worship

5 Basilica of Santa Croce

The Basilica of Santa Croce is one of the most important monuments in the city and is a clear representation of how Baroque art has dominated over the years and influenced the architecture of the city of Salento. A visit to this Basilica should be included in the “Things to do in Lecce” list.

6 Church of San Francesco della Scarpa

The Church of San Francesco della Scarpa in Lecce was built in the 12th century, on land owned by the Guarini family and was then renovated between 1699 and 1714. The absence of a richly decorated external façade, like most of the churches in Lecce, has earned it the nickname “church without a façade”.

Museums in Lecce and art galleries

7 MUSA – Historical Archaeological Museum, Lecce

“The Historical-Archaeological Museum (MUSA) of the University of Salento, inaugurated in June 2007, was created as part of the Coordinated Plan of the Universities of Catania and Lecce (IN20 Initiative) and funded by the Ministry of University and Scientific Research (MIUR) and the European Union within the P.O.N. 1994/1999 and 2000/2006. MUSA was born as an exhibition structure aimed at enhancing, educational use, and disseminating research conducted over several decades by the archaeologists and ancient historians of the University of Salento. The exhibition aims to retrace the fundamental stages of the research paths developed by the ancient history and archaeology sector of the Lecce University and, at the same time, offer an updated overview of the research horizons – from prehistory to the Middle Ages, from Salento to the Mediterranean East – and the resources it currently has in terms of skills, instruments, and laboratory equipment.”

8 Provincial Museum Sigismondo Castromediano

The types of materials preserved in the museum are: numismatic items; archaeological finds; anthropological finds; demo-ethno-anthropological assets; works and art objects; drawings; photographs; contemporary works of art. The museum is characterized by the multiplicity of its collections divided into as many sections: prehistoric, archaeological, medieval, Baroque, 19th and 20th-century Salento. The archaeological collections come from excavations at the end of the nineteenth century and have been enriched by excavation campaigns funded by the Province of Lecce (Roca, Rudiae, Cavallino, Poggiardo). They offer a comprehensive overview of the Messapian civilization in Salento from the 7th century BC. Purchases, donations, and deposits have enriched their content and classes (Attic, Apulian, local vases, bronzes, terracottas, inscriptions). The historical-artistic sections gave rise to an Art Gallery (Venetian polyptychs of the 14th and 15th centuries, Neapolitan painting from the 16th to the 18th century, ceramics, glass, textiles, silverware of the Baroque age) and the section “Salento Artists between the 19th and 20th centuries”.

9 Roman Theatre Museum, Lecce

“Annexed to the theater, the Roman Theatre Museum of Lecce was set up by the Memmo Foundation, in some rooms of the prestigious 17th-century palace belonging to the Romano family. The museum, in addition to housing artifacts from excavations carried out in the first half of the last century that uncovered the ancient monument, preserves an exhibition entitled “”Rome. The Scene of Life”” created in collaboration with the Archaeological Superintendent of Rome and the Archaeological Superintendent of Apulia, which illustrates the theme of scenography and illusionistic representation in the Roman world. Of great stage effect is the series of nine theatrical masks from Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli. Finally, thanks to a model, it is possible to see the reconstruction of a wide urban area of Lupiae (ancient Lecce) in the Roman imperial age.”

10 Museum of Children of Lecce

The Museum of Children of Lecce is a “non-museum museum”, set up according to modern museum educational theories, consisting of copies, reconstructions, reproductions of prehistoric objects. A guide character, Mister Caveman, depicted on the explanatory panels, telling in his comics the origin of man and his cultural evolution, contextualizes the objects on display, placing them in a path that reaches until the early Iron Age.

Other museums in Lecce

• Papyrological Museum
• Environment Museum
• Museum of Popular Traditions Abbey of Cerrate
• Chinese Missionary and Natural History Museum
• Franciscan Art Gallery of the Friars Minor of Lecce

11 What to buy in Lecce

Lecce is a small eldorado also for artistic craftsmanship, especially the working of papier-mâché, poor art, which has its roots in the seventeenth century. In via Vittorio Emanuele, there are several workshops, including that of Claudio Riso, where it is possible to follow the various processing stages and admire works with sacred and profane subjects. Next to the Church of the Gesù, there is the permanent craft market exhibition of typical artisan products, the right place to buy pignatte, the characteristic pottery with the rooster design; while for objects, lamps, and other furniture in Lecce stone, it is worth stopping by Tracce, in Corte dei Romiti and Petra Aurea, in the central 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 to Lecce is Brindisi, which is about 30 km from the city center, and you can reach it by taxi, renting a car, or thanks to the very well-organized bus service.

13 What to eat in Lecce

We strongly recommend trying the typical Salento dishes, especially the rustico leccese, made up of two puff pastry discs filled with mozzarella, tomato, béchamel sauce, and nutmeg. How can we not mention the puccia, the typical bread, to be enjoyed plain or stuffed. Another traditional dish not to be missed during your vacation in Salento is the pasticciotto leccese, to be eaten strictly warm, just out of the oven, accompanied by a cup of Salento coffee.

14 Where to eat in Lecce

There are many restaurants in Lecce where you will have the opportunity to enjoy excellent food. Between visits (the Duomo and its splendid square enclosed on three sides; the Basilica of S. Croce with its facade carved like lace and the adjacent Government Palace; Piazza Sant’Oronzo, the heart of city life, with the remains of a Roman Amphitheatre…), it is very pleasant to mingle with the locals, take part in their little daily rituals: a coffee or an aperitif at Caffè Alvino (also B&B), a historic bar in Piazza Sant’Oronzo in front of the Amphitheatre; a small glass of rosolio with a piece of cotognata at Bar della Cotognata Leccese near the castle; a full immersion among the pasticciotti (little pastry puffs filled with custard), fruttoni with almond paste, and the creamy ice creams of Pasticceria Natale, on Via Trinchese. And a stop at Valentina, on Via Petronelli, popular for extra virgin olive oil taralli, orecchiette, preserves, and jams.