Lecce is a town of 94,387 inhabitants in the province of Lecce, in Puglia, Italy. It is the capital of its province.
The municipality covers 238.39 km², with a density of 396 inhabitants per km².
The nearest airport is Brindisi (BDS), about 39 km away as the crow flies. Read our guide to the airport.
Why visit
The Florence of the Baroque. Discover Puglia
Things to see in Lecce
- The Roman amphitheatre of LecceArchaeology
- Baroque Lecce and Santa CroceArt
- Museo FaggianoCuriosities
- Orecchiette and pasticciottoFood & wine
The Florence of the South
Lecce, in the heart of Salento, is the capital of the Apulian baroque: churches and palaces carved in the soft, golden local stone with an exuberance of flowers, cherubs and monsters. Two seas are less than half an hour away.
What to see
The Basilica of Santa Croce has one of the most extraordinary baroque façades in Italy. Piazza del Duomo, enclosed like a courtyard, gathers the cathedral, the bell tower and the bishop's palace. In Piazza Sant'Oronzo lie the remains of a Roman amphitheatre, and the Roman theatre is close by. The Faggiano Museum, an ordinary house that revealed layers of history beneath its floors, the Charles V castle and the papier-mâché workshops complete the visit.
Food
Rustico leccese, pasticciotto custard pastries, ciceri e tria, pasta with chickpeas, puccia bread, caffè in ghiaccio with almond milk and the wines Negroamaro and Salice Salentino.
Around Lecce
Otranto and its mosaic cathedral, Gallipoli on the Ionian Sea, Galatina and its frescoed basilica, Nardò, Porto Cesareo, the sea caves of the coast down to Santa Maria di Leuca in Castrignano del Capo. Brindisi airport is 40 minutes away.
Lecce on the map
Nearby towns
Where to stay in and around Lecce
Tours and activities nearby
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