Lecce

My next destination was Lecce in Puglia, an ancient city famed for its baroque buildings. Lecce was first settled in pre-Roman times, became a Roman city with an amphitheatre which survives to this day, and then spent the next few centuries changing hands between Ostrogoth invaders, the Eastern Roman Empire, Normans and Lombards. It eventually ended up as part of the Kingdom of Naples in 1463, and had a period of peace and prosperity that saw a building boom of baroque-style churches in the 1600s. Today Lecce is a popular tourist destination with a compact old city centre, which is a joy to visit on foot.

I spent a full day exploring Lecce, wandering down old streets from one beautiful baroque building to another. There are famous sights, which attract tourist groups, like Lecce’s Duomo –

…..and the stunning Basilica di Santa Croce

Then there are less-known baroque churches which are part of a multi-site ticket issued by the tourist office, like San Matteo –

The Roman amphitheatre however is a bit of a disappointment if you have travelled a lot like me…..

Probably the real joy of Lecce though is wandering around from cafe to cafe during the day and bar to bar at night, catching a glimpse of everyday buildings where people still live but which still have astonishing baroque features – like this quiet courtyard…

…..or this balcony…..

…or this gate leading into the old city.

Once I had seen the major sites in Lecce once, I visited them again and again, enjoying how the atmosphere changed in the light of early morning or the evening. So here is the Duomo again, twice…..

and Santa Croce……

It all made for a very satisfying, relaxing stay. But as I sat down in front of my computer at the end of the day, I wondered what to write for my blog. There had been no problems, no amusing episodes or unique experiences to write about. I had simply had a very nice time in a beautiful city. So I decided to let the pictures do the talking for me, and this post has a lot of them, but few words.

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