Lecce walking tour & city guide

A walk through the baroque centre

The Basilica of Santa Croce is Lecce's masterpiece, with a richly sculpted façade and a large rose window. A few minutes away, Piazza del Duomo is an enclosed square framed by the cathedral, its tall bell tower and the bishop's palace, at its most beautiful when lit at night.

Piazza Sant'Oronzo, the main square, has the partly excavated remains of a Roman amphitheatre and a column topped by the city's patron saint. From there, lanes lead to Porta Napoli and Porta Rudiae, two of the old city gates.

Crafts and Salento

Lecce is known for its papier-mâché workshops, where artisans make religious figures and nativity scenes, and for ceramics and objects carved in Lecce stone. In the evening, the streets fill with students and families for the passeggiata.

The city is the capital of the Salento peninsula, with beaches on both the Adriatic and Ionian coasts within half an hour, and towns like Otranto and Gallipoli nearby.

Visiting tips

Lecce is the end of the main railway line down the Adriatic coast, with trains from Bari and Rome. The nearest airport is Brindisi. Summers are hot and busy on the coast, so spring and early autumn are ideal for exploring the city.