Things to Do in Lecce

Lecce is known for its 17th-century Baroque beauty, but the city’s history stretches back to the Roman empire. Nowhere is this legacy more evident than in Lecce’s Piazza Sant’Oronzo, where an amphitheater from the second century BC is still used today for performances.

 

Discovered in the early 1900s and excavated in 1938, Lecce’s Roman amphitheater was once five stories high. It seated 25,000 spectators and hosted gladiator bouts to entertain the legions of Roman soldiers billeted in what is now the region of Puglia. Beneath the arena, the pens that once housed animals, prisoners, and slaves can be seen among the ruins. Under the watchful eye of the statue of Sant’Oronzo—the patron saint of Lecce—which sits atop a Roman column, the amphitheater is currently used for more peaceful pursuits, including a summer series of concerts and plays.

 

Because of its archaeological importance, it's best to visit Lecce’s Roman amphitheater with a walking or bike tour led by a knowledgeable guide. Many tours also include visits to Lecce’s famous Baroque Duomo, Basilica di Santa Croce, and Chiesa di Santa Chiara.

 

 

The amphitheater is located in Lecce’s main Piazza Sant’Oronzo, the heart of the city’s historic center and an easy walk from the train station and other important sights and attractions.

 

The city of Lecce can get uncomfortably hot in the summer, so plan to visit first thing in the morning or in the late afternoon from June to September. Lecce celebrates its three patron saints each year August 23–25, with light displays, music, and festivities, making it is an especially memorable time to visit.

 

Lecce is famous for its sumptuous architecture, including magnificently carved and decorated churches and palaces made of Leccese-stone and dating from the 17th-century. These structures are  considered masterpieces of the Baroque style. The most famous examples include the Cathedral (Duomo), the Basilica of Santa Croce, and the Church of Santa Chiara.

The glories of Puglia’s lovely town of Lecce came into being in the 16th and 17th centuries, when peace in the region enabled religious orders and wealthy benefactors, including Emperor Charles V, to transform the town from sleepy backwater to the Baroque gem of southern Italy. The glorious centerpiece of all this gorgeousness is undoubtedly the Basilica di Santa Croce, a swirling mass of ornate Baroque patterning crawling with garlands, statuary, mythical beasts and gargoyles, all fronted with a colonnaded façade that is dominated by a vast rose window.

Work began on this madcap architectural frippery in 1549 on the site of an earlier Celestine monastery, and the basilica was finally consecrated in 1695. Three generations of architects worked on the construction over the decades, with the most notable being Giuseppe Zimballo—better known as Lo Zingarello (the gypsy)who was the star Puglian architect of the period. Along with his sidekick Cesare Penna, he was responsible for the uppermost, and most intricate, level of the basilica. 

Built on land confiscated from Jewish citizens, the exterior of Santa Croce is a confection of Baroque detailing but the interior is decidedly plainer and Renaissance in style. Highlights include the coffered wooden ceilings and the fanciful altars in the 17 chapels. Together with the equally splendid and adjacent Palazzo dei Celestini, which was also the work of Lo Zingarello, the basilica forms the architectural high point of a ravishing town center. 

Lecce is famous for its sumptuous baroque architecture, and the Italian city’s main cathedral (Duomo di Lecce) is one of the most ornate examples. Its magnificently carved and adorned Leccese-stone facade is a 17th-century masterpiece and one of the highlights of this city on Puglia’s Salento peninsula. 

The original Norman cathedral was built on Piazza del Duomo in the mid-12th century. More than 500 years later, the church was completely reworked in the baroque style and finished by Giuseppe Zimbalo, who had a hand in many of Lecce’s most beautiful churches and palaces, and is now buried beneath the church’s altar, dedicated to the city’s patron saint. The 17th-century Bishop’s Palace and 18th-century Palazzo Seminario and cloister are also located in the square alongside the Duomo, and looming over everything is the 230-foot (70-meter) bell tower. 

The city, and the entire surrounding province of Lecce, has some of the loveliest baroque architecture in Europe, and walking tours of the city include stops at the Duomo and other important architectural monuments. For a more in-depth tour of the interior of the cathedral and other buildings on the piazza, opt for a private tour.

Piazza del Duomo and Lecce Cathedral are about a 3-minute walk from the city’s main Piazza Sant'Oronzo, through a jumble of streets of the old town (centro storico).

Lecce celebrates its three patron saints each year on August 23, 24, and 25. The entire city celebrates with light displays, music, and festivities, so it is an especially memorable time to visit Lecce and its cathedral.

In addition to its Duomo, Lecce has a number of other 17th-century architectural treasures in its historic center, including the Basilica di Santa Croce and the Church of Santa Chiara (Chiesa di Santa Chiara).

Lecce’s Church of St. Irene was built between 1591 and 1639 for the Theatines and dedicated to the city’s patron saint. The church is not far from the Duomo and the Basilica di Santa Croce in Lecce’s city center.

The facade of the church features a statue of Saint Irene, sculpted in the early 18th century. Above that statue is Lecce’s emblem - a shelf-wolf and an oak tree. Artwork worth noting inside the church includes a number of beautiful altarpieces. A particularly large altar dedicated to Saint Cajetan dates from the late 17th century, and two other altarpieces date from the mid-17th century - including one to Saint Irene.

Some walking tours of Lecce include a stop in the Church of St. Irene, though many will make passing reference to the church from the outside.

The Porta Napoli in Lecce is a triumphal arch that once served as one of three entrances into the historic city center. These gates were built into the city walls, and though the walls no longer exist the Porta Napoli still stands.

The gate was built in 1548 after a commission by the Habsburg Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Charles V, to fortify the city. Because of this funding, Lecce thanked the Emperor by decorating the Porta Napoli with the Habsburg family emblem.

Porta Napoli is a stop on many tours through Lecce. Because it doesn’t have open hours or an entry fee, it’s easy to admire at any time of day. For more explanation of the symbolism on the arch or the history behind it, however, a tour guide is useful.

The history of the postcard-pretty town of Lecce stretches right back to the Greek empire, when it was known as Messapi. Later, it was an important trading post in Roman times before becoming a center of learning in the Middle Ages. Today, it is famed for its peerless Baroque architecture, and there’s no better place to experience Lecce’s past than at the Museo Faggiano, an eccentric little museum hidden away in a backwater townhouse.

Once behind the unassuming façade, a whole new world opens up; the museum reveals layer upon layer of the town’s past over several levels unearthed during excavations. Presented against a backdrop of bare plaster walls marked with inscriptions from the Knights Templar, discoveries include a Roman altar, a well that reaches down to the underground river Idume, medieval walls, the remnants of a convent and a subterranean passageway thought to run all the way to the center of the town. Scattered among the pottery shards, cisterns and crumbling statues on display are some grisly horrors, including the tomb of a newly born baby and bones from corpses buried by the nuns.