This time we're in the baroque city of Lecce
known as the Florence of the south of Italy, there's lots to see and do so let's get going! Lecce is a cosmopolitan university city and the
provincial capital of the region Puglia. Whilst you might not have the wonderful coastal
views that we've seen in previous episodes in our series this really is an exciting
photogenic city to spend some time in. Nicknamed the Florence of the south for its
baroque architecture and general sophistication. You can get to Lecce from Brindisi international
airport in about half an hour or you can hire a car for about 30 or 40 euros a day just be
aware that parking is a bit difficult in the town so unless your hotel has got private parking
then you might be better off coming by train. You can also get a taxi or a bus from
Brindisi the prices are on the screen now. So we're staying at the Torre del Parco hotel
which is a historical tourist attraction in its own right. It's a fantastic hotel
and if you want to see more about that and now stay here then click
on the link top right now. It's a nice 10-minute easy walk
from the hotel to the old town. There are three old gates that act as entrances to
the old town and we're heading to one of them now. Lecce doesn't have a real must-do list of things
to see and tick off as tourist attractions which in some way makes it quite refreshing.
As you head into the old historical town area you'll find hidden gems in the
cobblestone lanes, like baroque churches, half-revealed roman ruins, family-run
restaurants and outdoor cafes. We'll take you around all the things we found
most interesting on our 2 day stop here. So Lecce stone is known throughout the world.
It's a form of limestone and it's sort of yellow in colour and what's really nice is at
night in the old town as the lights come on it gives a sort of like a warming glow, and you'll
see that a bit later on when we walk around. There are many churches in Lecce this one
Saint Matthew dates back to the 17th century and dominates the crossroads
to a number of streets the outside style was quite beautiful.
There was an admission fee for this one so we didn't go inside. Other churches are
free. So if you buy your ticket from here, nine euros, then you can visit the four
different churches and cathedrals in the city. So this time of day theres not many
people out and about because it's coming up to lunchtime it's very hot things
sort of close between one and half-past five and then the town really comes alive
after that sort of a bit later on so whilst it's a nice quiet time to walk around
it is extremely hot so you need to try and zip in and out of the shade to make the most
of it but it's still worth being out about. Finding the shade Will? You
trying to find the shade? YEH! Just stumbled across this it's called the Teatro
Romano, it's another kind of open-air theatre which they seem to be using leaf blowers on for some
reason. Well they're cleaning the floors Will! This is the really cool thing about Lecce, you stumbled
upon unexpected things all the time and this was hidden down a tiny back street, pretty cool. We'll
put a link to it on the map in our description if you're feeling like a snack there
are loads of cafes and cake shops just make sure you try one of the
traditional custard cream cakes. They look like the pies and the pastry
just melts away. They are scrumpious! Want something a bit more alcoholic,
then pop into a free wine tasting and just pretend you want to buy something.
So behind me is the Roman amphitheatre in the center of Lecce, that was built in
the second century a.d and only rediscovered back at the beginning of the 19th century when
they're excavating and since then they've sort of excavated out and they continue to do so today to
improve it but as you can see it's pretty amazing and they use it for events and
things like that during the summer. Whichever gate you enter the old city
from all roads lead to Rome as they say. In this case the roman amphitheatre
and the impressive piazza Sant'Oronzo calm and relaxing in the day and vibrant and
full of atmosphere at night as you'll see later. Here you can also see the tall
column of Sant'Oronzo the patron Saint of Lecce and the Cedille, the seat
of Lecce now the local tourist office. As you walk up one of the shopping
streets just off of Sant'Oronzo Piazza you see the Church St Irene in the
distance. Built some four centuries ago, it's one of the free to visit religious
sites and worth stopping inside. Whilst it may appear a relatively plain interior
there are some interesting carvings, figurines and frescoes. St Irene was the previous patron
Saint to Lecce before Oronzo took her place. As the clock strikes 12 and a peal of
bells start, we arrive at Piazza del Duomo. This stupendous square is home to Lecce Cathedral
one of the four churches on the nine euro ticket we talked about earlier. A masterpiece of baroque
architecture the inside is supposed to be stunning but we were worn out after all the churches
we'd seen over the past few weeks on our trip so decided not to venture inside.
It's a highly recommended place to visit. As we reach the north side of the old town
you can see one of the other gate entrances. A rather plain entrance to the city, it
was erected as a monument to Charles V who protected and increased the defences of Lecce
including adding the castle that we'll see later. Through the gate we spotted an obelisk
at the end of a small manicured park positioned on what is now rather busy
traffic roundabout it originates from 1822 and is decorated on all four sides
with carvings, this took us out of the old town on a short detour to what looked like an
entrance to a park so we decided to investigate. So we stumbled upon this little garden. We
thought it was a garden but actually it's some sort of monastery stroke sort of cemetery area
and it's really peaceful sort of on the outskirts of town we'll put a link in the description
because i don't think it's one of those ones that most tourists would come and see. but they've got like a mausoleum's in the in the cemetery area and it just reminds
me a little bit of Recoleta when we were in Argentina. Sadly it was before we started our
channel so we don't have a video on that one, but really nice, gets you out the sun
for a little bit so look that one up. Just walking around town and
we've come across Lecce Castle. Castille Castello Costello de Lecce. It's kind
of run-down. I think you can pay to go inside but it looks pretty closed up today really
we've just walked around the perimeter of it. It's not really our thing, to be honest
but there is one here if you fancy it. There is an interesting fountain outside the
castle made in bronze from pipe organ tubes. Created by Antonio Mizota, winner of a public
competition to celebrate the installation of a viaduct bringing water into Lecce. The
installation is known as the fountain of harmony. They say that mad dogs and
Englishmen go out in the midday sun. Well us Englishmen are out in the midday sun
but at least we're carrying some water with us! Slowing the pace down take a moment to just
watch and see the locals of Lecce going about their business. Have a late lunch or stop for an
aperol and chill out at one of the outdoor cafes. For something equally as relaxing head over to
the Giuseppe Garibaldi public gardens, a few streets away from Piazza Sant'oronzo, this is a tranquil
place to spend a late afternoon wandering around the fountains, garden paths and flower beds
in between interesting structures and busts. So if you only got a few hours in
Lecce then you want to try and be here in the evening because the place
comes alive. Everybody's out and about you've got the lights and everything that's going
on in the city to enjoy so let's go check it out. After a siesta the shops and restaurants
open again around half-past five for the evening trade and the streets become
filled with market traders, buskers and everyone looking for a good time and
good food. The yellow lighting fills the streets and it's a joy to be walking around
the old town and seeing it from a different perspective. A place we missed during the day was the Church
of the Holy Cross. It suddenly appeared through the narrow streets and at night had a mysterious
feel the architecture is quite beautiful. This is one of the places on the nine euro ticket
we spoke about earlier. You really do need to stop and take in the design and ornately
decorated cherubs and bunches of fruit. It's attached to the Convent of Celestini
apparently, the cloisters inside are not something to be missed and quite stunning amazingly. Now it's
used as a government building. What a place to work! We haven't spoken much about food so
far. The choices as you would expect are endless in this large city. Visiting
in August made it quite busy and we used TripAdvisor to help us decide on a place to eat. We made sure we booked in advance to avoid disappointment we both turned out to be
incredible we'll put links in the description. What have you got? Burrata with cured meats, And more selection of the cured meat, some sausages
and some cheeses and that's served with honey breads and bits. I don't remember what this is called
but it's like a local Pulia thing with some sun-dried tomatoes and more
cheese and like kind of crunchy bread bits. What next? Some unpronounceable shaped pasta named pasta
with broccoli and melted burrata on top of some sundry, with sun-dried cherry tomatoes all
being washed down by this local tipple from Puglia. On the second night we had an exceptional meal
in the tiny atmospheric restaurant of Tabisca. That is the mozzarella, and that the burrata. this is 24 months old aged ham. This was followed by incredible anchovy and garlic
toast for me and Will had tuna sun-dried tomato. slow-cooked pork leg that just melted away and a small chocolate dolce
de leche dessert. Wonderful! So we're back in piazza del duomo. Much busier in
the evenings, when we were here in the afternoon dead! It was so hot, now it's
a beautiful temperature. They light up all the buildings up
at night time, it's really beautiful. Straciatella When your in Lecce, or course you've got to get a Gelato. Anywhere in Italy for that fact. I've gone for a Straciatella, which is like a chocolate chip Really thick, really creamy, delicious! So that's about it guys.
We hope you've been watching over the last three or four weeks, our different
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