Lecce Attractions

From the Piazza Sant'Oronzo in Lecce the Corso Vittorio Emanuele II runs west, past the Theatine church of Sant'Irene (1639), into the Piazza del Duomo, with the cathedral of Sant'Oronzo (1658-70; tower 70m/231ft high), the Bishop's Palace and the Seminary, which has a richly decorated façade and a courtyard containing a fountain. 500m/550yd south of the Piazza del Duomo is the large Dominican church of Santa Maria del Rosario (1691-1728).

North of Piazza Sant'Oronzo in Lecce in the Piazza della Prefettura the magnificent Baroque church of Santa Croce has an elaborately decorated facade (begun 1548, completed 1697 onwards) and a fine interior. Adjoining it on the north is the extensive and richly ornamented facade of the Celestine convent (13th century) which belonged to the church; now Palazzo del Governo.

Southeast of the Piazza Sant'Oronzo is the Castello, built by Charles V in 1539-48, on a trapezoid ground-plan. South of the town center in the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele stands the 18th c. church of Santa Chiara and farther south the church of San Matteo (built c. 1700), with a bizarrely curved facade.

There is an attractive drive over the Apulian plain, passing through the little country town of Galatone (59m/195ft; pop. 14,000), with a cathedral and the Baroque church of the Crocifisso.

Gallipoli (14m/46ft; pop. 22,000), a little port beautifully situated on a rocky island in the Golfo di Taranto is linked by a bridge with its modern suburb of Galatone on the mainland. At the east end of the bridge is a fountain of 1560, with ancient reliefs. Beyond the bridge, to the left, is the Castello (16th century), from which the main street, Via Antonietta de Pace, runs across the town. In this street, on the left, stands the cathedral (1629-96), with fine choir-stalls, and, on the right, the Municipal Museum.

In the center of Lecce is the Piazza Sant'Oronzo, with an ancient column bearing a statue of the saint, and marking the end of the Via Appia. To the west of the column is the Palazzo del Sedile, a loggia built in 1592, and adjoining it the doorway of the little church of San Marco (founded 1543). On the south side of the square are the excavated remains of a Roman amphitheater (A.D. second century).

To the south of Lecce, in Piazza Argento, is the Palazzo Argento, which houses the Provincial Museum (ancient vases, terracottas, statues and pictures).

A pleasant trip from Gallipoli is on a road, partly hewn from the rock, along the "Riviera Neretina" to the little resort of Santa Maria al Bagno, which lies 12km/7.5mi north. In another 2km/1.25mi the road comes to the hamlet of Santa Caterina Riviera. From Lecce to Capo Santa Maria di Leuca (about 65 or 100km/40 or 62mi) Another attractive trip is from Lecce to Capo Santa Maria di Leuca, either on the direct road (65km/40mi) via Maglie (81m/267ft) or on the longer but scenically superior coast road (about 100km/62mi).