Top 10 Must-Do Things in Lecce

Discovering the capital of Puglia baroque. Lecce A city made of art and golden stone flagship of the whole Salento area

This city takes its name from Lupiae ancient name of the city and ilex meaning "holm oak."

Lecce is one of the most precious jewels in Italy. An open-air museum with its extraordinary Lecce stone monuments and incredible Baroque masterpieces.

Famous worldwide for its Baroque art, it has been named the "Lady of Baroque" and nicknamed the Florence of Southern Italy. In fact, the city is art, historic buildings that make it unique and magical in the eyes of visitors from all over the world.

In my column "A portata di Manu" I offer you ideas and itineraries but also things to do if you come to Lecce even on a day trip, whether you are a foreign visitor or a tourist at home. The article includes all the references for booking tickets or excursions in the area or guided tours.

I suggest that you also make contact when you are on site with the office of the local Pro Loco

Lecce can be reached by plane, train, car or bus. It is located in the heart of the heel of Italy between the Adriatic and Ionian seas.

To reach Lecce by plane, we recommend landing at the Aeroporto Brindisi Casale Which is about 45 km or so from the city. From here take a cab or rent a car. Da questo link tutte le compagnie in aeroporto.

By Train with Trenitalia it is easy to get to Lecce if you need to travel along the coast. To get inland from Lecce, consult Linee Salento in Bus e Treno Or car recommended.

From the highway, exit at Bari Nord and continue to Lecce on the SS16.

I need to be honest, are more than 10 and I didn't want to cut out any of the wonderful experiences you might have coming to these parts. The tips are ideal if you are around a few days or a long weekend.

Starting from darkness and coming to light. An exclusive and innovative fruition of the Basilica. The tour is called The Mysteries of Santa Croce. During the tour by night you will witness a unique artistic installation of great scenic impact. An experience to be lived in an exclusive moment in which the Basilica of Santa Croce unveils its Mysteries between musical notes and silences, The duration of the tour is 45 minutes allowed maximum 30 people per tour.

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To enter the city, our ancestors had to pass under arches and vaults.

The gates of Lecce provide an innovative point of view for delving into the city's history. Porta Napoli, Porta Rudiae, Porta San Biagio. Three gates that protect the historic center. There is also a fourth gate. Porta San Martino, which was destroyed and to this day remains shrouded in mystery. The story goes that it was destroyed in 1830 by order of the decurionate because in his opinion it obscured the beauty of the Intendenza palace, today's Prefecture.

Lecce's vantage point, a unique vantage point from which to admire Lecce from its tallest building: the cathedral's bell tower. Using an elevator, visitors access the third level of the ancient structure, at a height of 43 meters they look out onto balconies that offer a magnificent 360-degree view of the city and the Adriatic Sea.

Interactive totems and multimedia viewers allow visitors to recognize the main points of interest in the panorama. The tour lasts 20 minutes maximum 15 people per tour.

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You can delve into the history of Lecce's most important Baroque churches - the Duomo, Santa Croce, San Matteo and Santa Chiara - and learn interesting facts about the architecture and works preserved inside magnificent monuments.

For kids there is the Kids tour: it will be Liko, the lady of the wolves, who will accompany the little ones to discover this priceless heritage.

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The Provincial Museum "Sigismondo Castromediano" is the oldest archaeological museum in Apulia. It was founded in 1868 by Sigismondo Castromediano, duke of Cavallino. It preserves numerous testimonies of the Messapian civilization of Roman settlements. For several years now it has increased its prestige, thanks in part to the inauguration of a pavilion dedicated to the world-famous Lecce tenor Tito Schipa. In the same complex is the provincial library, containing more than 1,000 writings including books, magazines and period newspapers. In addition to it there is a large study room

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An entire underwater world waiting to be discovered, An underground Lecce that knows how to give unique emotions. To visit a city you have to go deep, very deep, practically underground. In Lecce not to be missed are the undergrounds of theMuseo Faggiano , Palazzo Vernazza Castello di Carlo V , Museo Ebraico

Foto fonte web

Named Piazza Sant'Oronzo for the Roman Amphitheater located in the Piazza of the same name in Lecce. It testifies to the importance attained by ancient Lupiae in imperial times. Discovered in the early 20th century, about one-third of the original building is now visible, with part of the arena and cavea, while the remaining portion is concealed below the square and buildings

The AIM of the project is Silvestro Silvestori, an Italian-American lecturer who has been passionate about wine and cooking for 25 years in Italy. His cooking classes are "a relational experience" even before they are culinary. Silvestro succeeds in bringing together people from all over the world who choose his school in Lecce to live in contact with km0 food. From olive picking to daily grocery shopping. The Awaiting Table Cookery School is a Salento cooking school, teaching not just old-fashioned recipes but the history behind them. It is also a wine school called "Terrònia: The New Wine School of Southern Italy" with the aim of promoting wines and grapes from all over the south (Puglia, Sicily, Basilicata and Calabria).

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The museum is located inside a medieval building with a late Renaissance appearance where the 15th-century synagogue stood in the center of Lecce's old Jewish quarter. Visitors are invited to follow the traces of the Jewish presence in Lecce from the Middle Ages to the present day by wearing a visor. Through virtual reality it will be possible for guests to virtually walk through the streets of the medieval Judecca, enter the Lecce synagogue, admire the frescoes of the Torre di Bello place and much more. Tutte le info QUI

It takes place at the MAiDE art gallery. Grappling with "poor" materials, water, glue, stuffed dummies and paper, guests will experience a tradition that aims to stay true to the experience of the great masters. During the experience, artifacts will be made to take home Tutte le info QUI

In Lecce there is a corner of nature filled with mysteries and wonders. A place unknown to many. An old quarry that has been disused for many, many years and has been redeveloped thanks to European Community funds.

It is a small hiking and forested area located, paradoxically, right inside the central area of Lecce. This means that, is in a peripheral area of Lecce, you can find yourself immersed in an enchanted city setting, a forest rich in flora and fauna that you will have to visit with the accompaniment of a specialized guide.

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Located in the Lecce countryside. Once a Byzantine-rite monastery with scriptorium and library, it later became an agricultural production center specializing in olive processing. This Abbey gives back a fascinating account of its dual soul as a place of worship and historic farm. To book click QUI

For many, the Pasticciotto originated in Galatina with Ascalone (Read here TOUR DEL PASTICCIOTTO) for others, however, he was born in Lecce and The most famous is that of the historic barAlvino in Piazza Sant'Oronzo. The war is on.

To dispel any doubts, I recommend that you try both during your tour of Salento and also taste a third one that acts as the needle of the scale and according to the people of Lecce is absolutely the best: Caffè Pasticceria l'incontro

Do you prefer the Rustico salentino or the Puccia Leccese? When in doubt I would try them all. I like them both but my palate prefers the Rustico.

I recommend for Puccia (bread dough for stuffing) if you are in Lecce to try the one de

artisanal dough with every good thing inside. Among my favorites is the Negroamaro but in addition to the classics that you can compose self-service at the moment, worthy of attention is the Special: Lampascioni, anchovies, turnips, mozzarella and tomato.

Per il Rustico invece (pasta sfoglia con dentro mozzarella besciamella e pomodoro)

I also invite you to try in the struggle between Galatina and Lecce the rustic of the Rosticceria Moscara di Galatina and take a bite of the calzone as well (Whose tradition is also strong in Lecce) and compare it to the good calzone leccese of FusciMoi or the gourmet calzone in Lecce from Mas Calzone

A gastronomic experience discovering regional Italian flavors in Italy-shaped cutting boards

This is the first patented cutting board in the shape of Italy, offering the possibility of filling each regional compartment with typical local products.

It is designed to let guests, from national and international backgrounds, experience a symbolic journey to discover the varied identities of our country.

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Lecce is a city of a thousand faces. Its Baroque nature, artistic soul and cultural treasures are joined by the beating heart of a youthful city that also keeps you entertained. The deputed place for nightlife is the historic center that runs from Porta San Biagio to the Piazzetta di Santa Chiara. Every place is ideal for a drink or to make new friends, among the bars that particularly impressed me I would like to point out some excellent cocktails at QUANTO BASTA or ALVENTUNO (not just a bar but a real experience) or FLOAT where you can accompany the excellent cocktails with delicious appetizers.

Among the restaurants where I suggest you go for dinner (for all price ranges) you can make reservations at

La Scarpetta this restaurant particularly appealed to me and I was there once for a business lunch that I really remember with pleasure. We ate Apulian cuisine, plentiful in a really very cozy environment. The thing that had struck me about this place is that if you want to make a surprise, you can rent the whole place just for an important event or appointment. I ate for lunch in addition to the appetizers (super plentiful) a pacchero with snapper ragout that I still haven't forgotten.

Vico del Gusto the welcome is starred restaurant but the dishes are not nouvelle couisine so when you get up from the table you are satisfied. It is located in the center of Lecce. near the basilica of santa Chiara. You eat divinely, especially fish. The attention to detail immediately strikes you, the setting is intimate and discreet.

400 gradi pizzeria Good pizza: white, margherita base, with fior di latte.

La cucina di Mamma Elvira really makes you feel at home. Here the local cuisine is presented in a contemporary way. You can eat a ciceri e tria or a pastasciutta or octopus served really with “great class” but with trattoria-like portions.

Doppio Zero Elegant venue with vaulted ceilings and wooden elements, where appetizers and homemade dishes are prepared. the mise en plate is original especially if you take friselle

Vineria Popolare for a good aperitif of bruschetta and bubbles great hangout with friends

Helena Wine Boutique da provare almeno una volta. E' un Wine bar molto molto GLAM con cucina gourmet, per definirlo l'aggettivo più indicato che mi viene in mente è che si tratta di un un locale davvero raffinato. Una esperienza favolosa.

Palazzo BN if you have never been there you absolutely must go. It was a bank now a restaurant, bar and suite in the heart of Lecce. I have been there on more than one occasion for both lunch and dinner. There are two restaurants and two lounge bars (the aperitif on the terrace is very interesting) in which to eat or have a drink. They are all within easy reach, just go down or up a few floors. I met patron Renè De Picciotto during one of the events organized at the venue.

Spiriti Gourmet pizzeria in the center of town a stone's throw from the municipal villa, which has a good pizzaiolo like Angelo D'Amico offering great-tasting pizzas as well as gourmet pizzas presented in wedges. Good to be followed on a taste trail to get the right experience.

Paladini pizzeria off the downtown routes, we are in the suburbs, where Marco Paladini offers a varied range of doughs from classic to whole wheat spelt, buckwheat, hemp sativa.

La Bocca Bistrot born from the bet of two Milanese partners. Located just past Porta S. Biagio, it offers the gourmet but substantial cuisine of Gabriele Piga, a chef of Sardinian origin, a student of Sergio Mei, and you can recognize the school from the technical perfection of the dishes. They say of themselves that their Spaghetti al pomodoro is unbeatable. Can you say otherwise?

DUO actually I haven't been here yet but my friend told me it is really worth it and I hope to go there soon. It is a luxurious restaurant designed by “rockin'” chef Fabiano Viva. A Salento VIP who loves good food and the craftsmanship of dishes, he has been able to divinely reinterpret Apulian food while remaining anchored in his local roots by counting Altamura bread and Coratina extra virgin olive oil among his favorite dishes.

3 rane ristoro Small venue for a small menu: 4 dishes for each course, 3 ingredients for the name of each dish, a page for (natural) wines from just two regions, Puglia (where the chef lives) and Piedmont (where he was born instead) Chef Maurizio Raselli, has opened his little gem , a venue of just 15 covers in Lecce's historic center.