Lecce, Puglia - 3rd and 4th June

 Hi all,

Yesterday we took a short train trip south from Brindisi to our abode for the next week,- Lecce in the region of Salento, Italy (the heal). Of course it was no accident that we found ourselves in a city full of history going back thousands of years to the Greek and Roman times. This Roman amphitheatre just happened to be on the way to our apartment!


We settled in pretty quickly to our great 17th century apartment (modernised of course) after a great introduction by host Francesca. We have already tried one of her recommended restaurants, and will be going down the list based on the excellent fare at Vico Del Gusto. 

This morning we took a lead from the city guide to Baroque Lecce, and walked Route 1 (of four recommended routes) thought 14 historic sites that included the Cathedral (Doumo) and numerous other churches and historic sites. The “ no more than 2 churches a day” rule set by Holly was definitely broken.



Of course we couldn’t resist a closer look at the 1st Century Amphitheatre.




This is a wonderful, compact city with elements that remind us of Siena in Tuscany, Verona or even Arles in  Provence, but it has its own unique character of course having been settled by and conquered by Greek, Roman, Frank, Byzantine, Norman, Venetian empires prior to the unification of Italy in the 19th Century.

It is the Baroque period that is most evident in the city layout and prevailing architecture.



This is a close Felicity gets to the dreaded spiral stairs! We finished route 1, after 14 excellent stops at the old town gate: followed by a return to the flat for a well earned rest and a glass of excellent local Rose.


Arrivederci for now from the travellers 🧳🇮🇹🏰🚇🥘



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