What did the Messapians, Romans, Byzantines and Normans ever do for us, eh? Well, it turns out in Lecce, on the heel of Italy, quite a lot, actually. While evidence of their prowess is clearly on display in the city of 100,000 residents, it’s the baroque splendour of this “Florence of the South” that lures visitors. From the 15th century, trade — particularly in high-quality olive oil from the surrounding Salento region — made the city rich. The result was a small army of frenetic chisellers whose imagination went into overdrive on churches and public buildings, and whose results define the city today. Add in easy access to local beaches, delicious Pugliese cucina povera (food of the poor), and this city confirms itself as an enchanting spot in which to spend a few days sightseeing, cooling off with a traditional caffè leccese (iced black coffee with almond syrup), or something stronger.
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The 16th-century Basilica of Santa Croce was built by the Celestines
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48 hours in Lecce — at a glance
Day one
• Morning: Basilica of Santa Croce and Palazzo dell’Antico Seminario
• Lunch: Re Mida
• Afternoon: Palazzo Vernazza
• Drink: Quanto Basta
• Evening: cathedral bell tower
• Dinner: 300Mila
Day two
• Morning: Luciano Treggiari
• Lunch: Capilungo
• Afternoon: Museo Sigismondo Castromediano
• Drink: Bluebeat Pub
• Evening: Villa Reale
• Dinner: 3 Rane
The 17th-century cathedral bell tower in Lecce even has a lift
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What to do
• Lecce is an embarrassment of baroque riches. Start at the stunning façade of the 16th-century Basilica of Santa Croce, built by the Celestines to house relics of the True Cross, before venturing inside to feast on more ornate carvings. A LeccEcclesiae pass covers entry here as well as to several other churches, the cathedral, its bell tower and Palazzo dell’Antico Seminario (£18; chieselecce.it).
• Pause along the way for the local speciality pasticciotto, a warm, custard-filled pastry and a Maria d’Enghien (almond sponge cake and lemon-flavour ice cream) at Natale (cakes from £2; natalepasticceria.it). Or opt for a thirst-quenching coffee granita with a dollop of thick whipped cream at Bar Martinica (£3; Via Vittorio Emanuele II).
• Palazzo Vernazza dates to the 15th century, but archaeological digs revealed foundations that actually went back to the Iron Age. You can journey down, literally, through the ages aided by virtual-reality technology that lets you immersively explore a Roman temple (£8.50; palazzovernazza.it).
• The 17th-century bell tower of the cathedral has something not many others do: a lift. So no sweaty schlepping to the top (72m) for great sunset views over the city (entry with LeccEcclesiae pass).
• A window-shop around Luciano Treggiari’s antique store Ship in Arte on Via Federico d’Aragona is pleasant — even if a £67,000 pair of 18th-century Venetian wooden horses aren’t for you. But email in advance and he’ll open up his otherwise off-limits storage rooms to show you a staggering Aladdin’s cave of art dating back to the Renaissance with the chance to see old masters such as Tintoretto up close (free; shipinarte.com).
• Museo Sigismondo Castromediano is a fascinating archaeological museum combined with an art gallery housing paintings from the medieval period to the modern day. Bonuses are that it’s free, air-conditioned, and open until 10pm daily except Monday (facebook.com/MuCastromediano).
• A guided sunset stroll in the extensive grounds of Villa Reale can be arranged if you email in advance. The private gardens were laid out in the 1920s by the renowned landscape architect Pietro Porcinai. If you’re lucky the debonair owner might invite you inside his design-magazine palazzo for a nosy (free entry to gardens; apgi.it/giardino/villa-reale).
Wander the Roman ruins of the town
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Where to eat and drink
Re Mida
Is there any greater pleasure than sitting outside eating scrumptious Italian food, observing the passers-by, a glass of wine in hand? You get all that at Re Mida, where the chef-owner Stefania Indraccolo cooks simple dishes such as orecchiette pasta with tomato and beef, and spaghetti with mussels (mains from £11; fb.com/ReMidaRestaurant).
Quanto Basta serves great cocktails
Quanto Basta
This diminutive cocktail bar mixes drinks inside then serves them to you at tables in the street, so it’s great for people-watching. A cristoforetti (gin, elderflower cordial and lemon juice) is very refreshing on a warm evening. Aperitivo snacks include bao buns and spring rolls (cocktails from £7; quantobastalecce.com).
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300Mila
This all-day bar-restaurant is tourist-friendly without being touristy and becomes nicely buzzy in the evening. You’ll find classic risotto, pasta and fish dishes alongside less traditional sushi and poké (mains from £12; 300mila.it).
You’ll find sushi alongside classic Italian dishes at 300Mila
Capilungo
It’s a bit of a walk outside the centre, next to a housing estate, but for an authentically Pugliese take on lunch come here. Peek behind the counter to see the small army of pastry chefs at work, then order a plate of substantial aperipranzo snacks and a glass of wine. The owner, Luca, opened a branch in Covent Garden, London, last year too (lunch plate £12; pasticcerialucacapilungo.it).
Bluebeat Pub
Lecce is a student town, and you might catch some at this craft beer pub, along with business folk and young families with babies in prams. In other words, everyone is welcome. Join a communal table, order a drink, nibble on lupini beans and join in the chat (beers from £4; fb.com/BluebeatPub).
3 Rane uses local products in its flavour-packed dishes
3 Rane
There are just four tables here — a few more outside in summer — with one waiter and only the owner-chef Maurizio Raselli in the kitchen. Tasting menus have from four to ten dishes that come packed with sumptuous Salentine flavours that make the most of sublime local products such as capers, olives and tomatoes (four courses £38; facebook.com/3raneristoro).
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Where to stay
Risorgimento Resort
The Risorgimento Resort is in Piazza Sant’Oronzo
Stay near the heart of history
This 47-room hotel is a short walk from the Roman amphitheatre in Piazza Sant’Oronzo. It has several restaurants, including a seasonal rooftop one that’s perfect for sundown spritzes (B&B doubles from £152; risorgimentoresort.it).
Palazzo Bozzi Corso
Suites and sculptures
Pack an 18th-century townhouse with modern art and cool design and you get this super-stylish bolt hole in the centre of town. There are ten suites and a rooftop pool. For something more contemporary, the nearby sister property La Fiermontina has a larger pool in its expansive sculpture and olive tree- strewn garden (B&B doubles from £300; lafiermontinacollection.com).
Palazzo Maresgallo
Chic central oasis
With just 12 rooms, this is another grand Leccese townhouse that has been tastefully converted to a hotel, with entry through a courtyard located in the shadow of the Duomo. Rooms are individually and chicly decorated. There’s a small garden with a pool, basement wellness area and a lovely roof terrace (B&B doubles from £393; palazzomaresgallo.com).
Getting there
Ryanair flies to Brindisi from Stansted and Manchester; easyJet flies seasonally from Gatwick, and BA from Heathrow. Buses from the airport to Lecce cost £6 one-way and take about 50 minutes (brindisiairport.net), but you may want to just pre-book a taxi through your hotel (35 minutes). Lecce is compact and all sites can be reached on foot.
Visit sustainably
Avoid crowds by visiting in April and May, when skies are sunny and temperatures much more pleasant than high summer. The city is almost at the end of Italy’s east coast rail line: trains reach Lecce from Rome in under six hours, Bologna in just over seven hours and Milan in about nine.
Will Hide was a guest of Kirker Holidays, which has three nights’ B&B from £1,036pp staying at La Fiermontina, including flights from Stansted, private transfers, and concierge service, (kirkerholidays.com), and Art Work Cultura (artworkcultura.it). For more information visit comune.lecce.it.
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