Discover Lecce: Baroque, museums and local specialties

Lecce combines artistic cityscapes, archaeology, museums and typical specialties to create a destination offering many different discoveries. Barocco Leccese developed here between the second half of the 16th century and the end of the 17th century. In the historic center, portals, churches, towers, monuments and residential buildings shape the cityscape in this style. As the center can be explored on foot, you can combine cultural impressions and local delights at your own pace.

Holiday apartment in Lecce for cultural and culinary trips

One of the most striking landmarks is the Basilica di Santa Croce, considered the finest example of Barocco Leccese. This architectural blend also gives Piazza Sant'Oronzo the appearance of an open-air museum. Today, about one third of the Roman Amphitheater's original dimensions is visible; at the same time, it hosts cultural and musical events. When choosing a holiday apartment in Lecce, you can therefore focus on the themes that define your trip: Baroque architecture, ancient history, contemporary art or the city's cuisine.

Other periods are explored at Palazzo Vernazza, with a visitor tour through the Messapian, Roman, Renaissance and Baroque periods, and at the Chiesa dei Santi Niccolò e Cataldo. King Tancredi, Count of Lecce, founded it in 1180; a finely framed Norman portal and a Norman rose window have been preserved. The Mura Urbiche preserve the northwestern section of the 16th-century city walls, including the Bastione San Francesco. The visit includes a footbridge to the bastions' ramparts and multimedia exhibitions in the underground area. LeccEcclesiae also offers an organized discovery tour through the most important Baroque churches.

Archaeology and museums between the city and Salento

The Parco Archeologico Rudiae preserves the site of a city founded by the Messapians and includes a Roman amphitheater built under Trajan. The visitor route begins in the Fondo Acchiatura area. There, you can view two paved streets running at right angles to each other and a place of worship; the Hellenistic hypogeum is not accessible. The route also offers an elevated view of the amphitheater and leads across a steel staircase.

The Museo Sigismondo Castromediano presents archaeological finds documenting prehistoric, Messapian and Roman Salento. At the Museo del Teatro Romano, the exhibition “Roma. La scena della vita” features stage design and illusionistic representation in the Roman world. You can also see nine theater masks from Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli, as well as a model reconstructing part of imperial-era Lupiae. MUSA documents historical and archaeological research from Salento and other Mediterranean regions in five rooms. MUDAS is located in the Antico Seminario at Piazza Duomo 5 and displays liturgical vestments owned by Lecce Cathedral.

Collections, everyday history and art

The Museo Faggiano is a historic building owned by the Faggiano family that makes archaeological and historical evidence from various periods, beginning with the Messapians, accessible to visitors. This includes tombs, cisterns, grain stores and connecting passageways. The Museo Ferroviario della Puglia displays 34 historic FS and FSE railway vehicles, five service vehicles, as well as memorabilia, models and signaling equipment. MUST occupies a large part of the former 15th-century Santa Chiara monastery in Lecce's historic center.

The Fondazione Biscozzi | Rimbaud presents a permanent exhibition of representative works from its collection in a historic building in the center of Lecce. The chronological tour ranges from the origins of contemporary art through Informal art in Italy and Europe, abstract-geometric and kinetic-programmed art, and analytical painting, to explorations beyond the traditional boundaries of painting and sculpture. Rooms for temporary exhibitions and an art history library are used for conferences and events.

Discover Lecce's specialties

Lecce's local character also includes two typical treats. Caffè alla leccese is coffee served with ice and almond milk. Pasticciotto leccese is a shortcrust pastry filled with pastry cream. In this way, the city complements its Baroque and archaeological diversity with a culinary perspective that fits well into a tour of the historic center.

If you would like to include other places in your travel plans alongside Lecce, you can also discover Caprarica di Lecce, Scorrano, Muro Leccese, Patù, Copertino, Melissano, San Foca and Torre Rinalda.

Back to the main travel overview: Lecce.