On one of our longer drives last year we listened to a podcast about Lecce and the baroque architecture in town. As usual, it made us want to see it for ourselves, so Lecce was a natural choice for a weekend while we were in Puglia.
After the stress of our rental car shenanigans, our drive from Bari was uneventful, though we were surprised at how dusty and otherwise bland the countryside was. Along the way we stopped in Brindisi for lunch, arriving in Bari around 4:30pm.
After checking in to our apartment we decided to walk a quick loop around town. The light was golden at 6pm as we saw several of the main historical sights including the Roman amphitheater and theater, Chiesa di Santa Irene, and Saint Oronzo Plaza.
However, mosquitos were definitely out, so we had to keep moving.
The next morning after breakfast we decided to walk back toward the Porta Napoli and explore a bit north.
Included in our room rate was a two hour walking tour which definitely saved us money on entry into multiple churches! The large group (30+) made it difficult to get around in some of the smaller spots and some of the church visits felt a bit rushed, but the wireless over ear speakers made it easy to hear our guide everywhere. We visited the following:
Jewish Museum – small synagogue from 1000s, abandoned when Jews were kicked out of the region in 1300 and 1400s.
Chiesa di Santa Chiara – known for its paper maché ceiling and extensive altar.
Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption and Saint Orontius – ornate, with a walnut ceiling, bell tower, and large underground crypt.
Basilica di Santa Croce – absolutely stunning exterior that we walked past multiple times each day. One of the altars is said to include wood from the original cross.
After resting our feet and grabbing snacks we walked over toward Porta Rudiae.
Lecce is a beautiful small city to walk around, and we were glad we spent two days exploring here.
Where we stayed: Michelangelo B&B
Our apartment was spacious with an entry room that had a wardrobe and small couch, then a main bedroom, followed by the kitchenette and bathroom. There was plenty of room for our bags and the bed was reasonably comfortable. The room was surprisingly quiet as we were located on a small alley just steps from the main cathedral. Most of the windows had powered shades except the one high above our bed so we did opt to sleep with eye masks… several windows were also motorized for ventilation, all of which were screened (very needed!).
The bathroom is a good size, though the door was quite squeaky, and the shower has good water pressure. The kitchenette had basic items – plates, silverware, wine opener – and the table was nice to have.
Bonuses: the owners left us a half bottle of rose (nice touch), offered us a free spot on the 11a walking tour, and helped us with a car park reservation and a restaurant reservation during our stay. Our room was also tidied on Sunday which was as a surprise. Reasonable wifi speed too.
Overall, it was a great location for us, right in the middle of everything, plus comfortable and exceptionally quiet too. We would definitely recommend.