Lecce

Today Lecce is the most interesting tourist destination in Southern Italy, a chest full of extraordinary beautiful jewels. Much of its beauty is due to the so-called "pietra leccese" (typical rock of the Salento region) – compact, but easy to work with – which characterizes the Baroque in specific local features. That’s why we speak of "Baroque Leccese", whose churches and palaces, but also balconies and terraces, show off an exuberant and flamboyant complexity of style.
The most impetuous manifestations of the "Baroque Leccese" are the Basilica of Santa Croce and the Duomo, places that every visitor in Lecce and the Salento has to go to. But all the historical centre is an inexhaustible source of beautiful places which, with the centuries, seem to have gathered in that ancient heart of stone to become a single body of invaluable attraction. From the Roman Amphitheatre to the castle of Charles V, from Saint Oronzo Square to the ex-Teatini Monastery, from the numerous churches to the Gates just on the boundary of the old town, Lecce enchants and surprises. And unfortunate is who leaves the town without buying one of the typical objects made of papier maché, fruit of the skilled hands of papier maché artisans who work with paper and flour glue, or without having tasted the traditional "pasticciotto", a typical local made pastry with lard and custard.
Lecce is also nature; it has a wonderful profile washed by the Adriatic Sea for over 20 kilometres. It has also a green heart around the urban centre, made up of a broad hinterland and of parts of notable environmental value like the Rauccio Natural Park, near the seaside resorts of Torre Chianca and Torre Rinalda, and the natural oasis of WWF, "Le Cesine", in the municipality of Vernole.
Finally, Lecce is full of cultural events, places for you to enjoy, to rediscover traditions and folklore. In short, Lecce is worth visiting!