Welcome in Lecce!

Now you've just arrived in Salento airport!

Lecce is a historic city, the second province in the region by population, as well as one of the most important cities of Apulia. It is the main city of the Salentine Peninsula, a sub-peninsula at the heel of the Italian Peninsula and is over 2,000 years old.
Because of the rich Baroque architectural monuments found in the city, Lecce is commonly nicknamed "The Florence of the South". The city also has a long traditional affinity with Greek culture going back to its foundation; the Messapians who founded the city are said to have been Cretans in Greek records. To this day, in the Grecìa Salentina, a group of towns not far from Lecce, the griko language is still spoken.
In terms of industry, the "Lecce stone"—a particular kind of limestone—is one of the city's main exports, because it is very soft and workable, thus suitable for sculptures. Lecce is also an important agricultural centre, chiefly for its olive oil and wine production, as well as an industrial centre specializing in ceramic production.

This is Rooms Rudiae: your first b&b where you'll stay for the night!

One of the most beautiful squares in Puglia tells thousands of years of history with the Roman Amphitheatre, the column of Sant'Oronzo, the sixteenth century seat and the fascist architecture of the Palazzo dell'Ina. Piazza Sant'Oronzo is a symbol of the millenary history of Lecce and in it coexist in harmony styles and architectural forms of different eras.
Together with the "she-wolf" depicted on the oval of the square, the Roman Amphitheater represents the ancient heart of the city, dated between the Augustan and Hadrian ages, and in the large cavea in front of the Baroque Church of Santa Maria della Grazia today events and outdoor shows take place. Behind, the Palazzo dell'Ina follows the curve of the amphitheater with its typical lines of fascist architecture.
From the height of the 29 meters of his column, Sant'Oronzo watches over the citizens. The bronze statue, made in Venice in 1739, is located on the rocks of one of the Roman columns placed at the end of the Via Appia in Brindisi. A few steps away, the beautiful sixteenth-century building of the Sedile is next to the small Church of San Marco.
The square, closed to traffic, is the cradle of the city’s public life, the traditional meeting place of the people of Lecce but also the scene of the most varied events that take place throughout the year.

Open on the eastern wall of the city, Porta Rudiae is the most interesting and ancient of the gates of Lecce, the one that turned towards the ancient destroyed city of Rudiae, from which it took its name. It is located in Via Adua, near the intersection of Viale dell'Università and Via Dalmazio Birago.
Built on the ruins of an older door that collapsed towards the end of the seventeenth century, Porta Rudiae was rebuilt in 1703 by the noble Lecce Prospero Lubelli. The door consists of a single arch, flanked by two columns on each side that rest on a podium and that support a frieze in which are placed the busts of the mythical founders of the city: Malennio, Dauno, Euippa and Idomeneo.
This door, also known as Sant'Oronzo, is surmounted by the statue of the saint, protector of Lecce, and those of the other protectors of the city Saint Irene and Saint Dominic. A Latin inscription recalls how the door was rebuilt by legate of Lecce Prospero Lubelli under the mayor Cesare Belli.

Its first foundation, commissioned by Bishop Tommaso Ammirato, dates back to 1429; it was later almost completely restored between 1687 and 1691. The construction of the church is the work of architect Giuseppe Cino.
Exterior The facade, left without the upper fastigio, has a convex pattern punctuated in two orders by a molded string course crossed by a jagged pattern. The lower order houses a portal decorated with plant motifs and surmounted by a mistilinear tympanum with an oval niche in the center, supported by smiling angels, and the coat of arms of the order of the Poor Clares. The surface is punctuated by columns and fluted pilasters alternating with empty niches embellished with cartouches and medallions. The upper order proposes the arrangement of the niches flanked by double fluted pilasters on the sides of a large central window with tympanum resolved in two side volutes. In the middle of the tympanum a winged puttine reveals the year of completion of the construction (1691), carved on the ribbon that he has in his hands. Inside The building has an elongated octagonal plan with a deep presbytery covered with a star vault. The walls are divided into two orders by a serrated continuous frame. The first order is crossed by Corinthian pilasters among which there are short chapels that host complex altar machines. The altars, richly decorated with spiral columns animated by angels, birds, scrolls, cartouches, garlands and sculptures, host the Neapolitan wooden statues of the late seventeenth century depicting Saint Francis Xavier, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Peter of Alcantara, St Gaetano of Thiene, St Anthony of Padua and the Immaculate Conception. In the upper register of the chapels there are seven large windows with a mixed profile, alternating with niches that host the statues of Beate Beatrice, Agnese, Amata and Ortolana. Along the walls there are also the grates of the choirs from which the nuns participated in the celebrations. The existing space between the various chapels is enriched by the presence of some paintings depicting scenes from the Gospel and saints: Assumption of the Virgin, Transit of Saint Clare, Risen Christ, Virgin and Child, Saint Ignatius of Loyola.
The presbytery is characterized by a monumental high altar, rich in architectural elements and decorated with two spiral columns, which houses in the central niche the statue of Saint Clare of Assisi.
Of note is the presence of the canvas of Saint Agnes, near the altar of Saint Francis of Assisi, work of Francesco Solimena.

The central Corso is one of the most characteristic streets of the Baroque city, for a walk through the wonders of Lecce stone, shops and beautiful churches. Corso Vittorio Emanuele II crosses the heart of Lecce, where you can admire some of the most significant monuments of the city.
Starting from Piazza Sant'Oronzo, you enter the historic center among magical baroque balconies and churches that seem embroidered in Lecce stone. The first sacred building is the Church of Sant'Irene with the adjacent former Convento dei Teatini, location for exhibitions, markets and cultural events.
Palaces and old houses accompany the path, with small shops, restaurants and workshops of papier-mâché artisans, until you reach the beautiful Piazza Duomo. Continue along Via Libertini, where you can admire other noteworthy buildings, such as the former Conservatory of Sant'Anna, the Academy of Fine Arts and the Hospital of the Holy Spirit, before reaching Porta Rudiae.
Corso Vittorio Emanuele is the historic shopping street of Lecce, where there are shops of different kinds, including several shops where you can find typical products of Salento, starting with papier-mâché Lecce, but also local cuisine.

Piazza Duomo is one of the main squares of Lecce. Here you will find the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta (the Duomo), the Bell Tower, the Episcope, and the Palazzo del Seminario.
The Baroque dominates the central Piazza Duomo. This large courtyard, later modified, dates back to the time of Bishop Gerolamo Guidano. It is accessed through the propylaea, built towards the end of the eighteenth century by Emanuele Manieri, having been demolished the original entrance walls. Piazza Duomo is one of the rare examples of "closed square", that is completely closed on three sides and has only an access where Via Giuseppe Libertini meets Via Vittorio Emanuele II. Once, in the evening, the doors, of which the imposing hubs are still visible today, were closed. Whether it is a clear example of Baroque is also evident from the theatrical solution of the "false facade". It is enough to cross the threshold of the portal to find yourself in the side aisle of the Church. The cathedral, therefore, does not welcome the visitor in front of it, but is located, with respect to the entrance of the square, in a parallel way. The scenic solution was adopted to avoid that the visitor was faced with a flat wall and without decorations.
The architect from Lecce, who tried to harmonize the urban furniture, created, on the sides of the propylaea, the twin buildings that, both on the ground floor, reveal smooth ashlar arches, now partly closed or transformed into doors and windows. To the left of the square stands the imposing bell tower, designed by Giuseppe Zimbalo, while in the center the cathedral and, in a more backward position, the episcope. On the right, finally, is the seminary.
Curiosity: Piazza Duomo is owned by the Curia and is not Municipal land.

At this point we take you to a typical restaurant to taste the best Salento dishes.

Now sleep! You're going to have another amazing and tiring trip day tomorrw!