Lecce

Lecce is rightly acclaimed as one of the capitals of the Baroque, a style which here has acquired unrivalled originality and exuberance due to the skills with which local architects and stonemasons worked the soft, malleable pink-tinged local stone.

As many other towns in Puglia Lecce dates back to the times of the Messapi. It was then conquered by the Romans in the III century BC. During the time of Hadrian (II century AD) a theatre was built together with an Amphitheatre whose imposing remains still stand in the town's main square, Piazza S. Oronzo.

It was during the XVI, XVII and XVIII centuries that the so called "Lecce Baroque" developed, embellishing the town centre with monuments, in particular churches, of great artistic worth.

The Baroque can be seen in many places in Lecce, one should visit in particular the elaborate scenography of Piazza del Duomo with the overpowering richness of the splendid façade of S. Croce, the harmony between different styles in the church of S. Niccolò and Cataldo.

The most enchanting example of the Baroque style is the splendid church of S. Croce next to the Palazzo Celestini. Its façade is divided in two levels and surmounted by a large gable. Altogether they form a breathtaking beautiful sweep.

The heart of the city is its main square, Piazza S. Oronzo, which is partly occupied by the Roman amphitheatre. In the centre of the square stands the column of S. Oronzo, one of the two columns which, in Brindisi, used to mark the end of the Appian Way.