Lecce, Italy – Florence of the South – Part One
The second largest city in Apulia is called Lecce and is located on the Salentine Peninsula of Italy. It is rich in Baroque architecture, most of which is in the form of Lecce limestone and is often referred to as the Florence of the South. It one of the oldest settlements in southern Italy, with activity dating back to neolithic times.
Getting There
From Brindisis, or most other larger towns and cities on the east coast of Mezzogiorno, the FrecciaArgento is perhaps to quickest way to arrive. From Brindisi it is a short twenty three minute ride, a bit longer on the regional trains.
The City
Lecce is a typical ancient city which was at one time circumscribed with a protective wall with three main gates. The streets in the old Città Vecchia, or old history city, are narrow and mostly paved with stones.
The government here must be very careful of the city center, since it appears to have mitigated much of the traffic you would normally find in other similar cities of this size, making pedestrian traffic all that more enjoyable.
Ports, Gates, Columns And Castles
There are numerous ports, gates, columns and obelisks in Lecce. These are spread out all of the city and are well labeled on most maps. The Triumphal Arch, or Porta Napoli, is the largest and one of the three gates to enter the Città Vecchia.
There is also the Porta San Biagio and a smaller one called the Arco di Prato, or Arch of Prato, which is somewhat hidden away within the narrow city streets.
The Obelisk of Terra d’Otranto can be seen close to the Porta Napoli and is rather tall. It was erected in 1822 in honor of one of the rulers of the Two Sicilies. On the other side of town one can find the War Memorial for soldiers lost in war.
In the Piazza Saint Oronzo you will find the Colonna di Sant’Oronzo, or the Column of Saint Oronzo. It is a tall pedestal with Saint Oronzo on top. The column itself was assembled from pieces of the one that fell apart in Brindisi in the mid sixteenth century, its twin can be found near the port of that city.
The Castello de Carlo V, or Castle of Charles V sits on the eastern edge of the historic city and below the Giuseppe Garibaldi Public Gardens. It is a large structure and tours are offered, all of which are guided, so you cannot tour the grounds unaccompanied. A short walk from there you will the public park or gardens, which is always a good stop to rest your feet after a few hours of walking.
Roman Ruins
Lecce has in its old historic city not one, but two Roman amphitheaters. Unfortunately for us, both were being restored while we visited and photography was very difficult in both cases.
Where We Stayed
For the second time on this trip we have booked a Bed and Breakfast. I still cannot say I am fan, but there are times when alternatives to hotels may make a better fit. However, we only commit to such alternatives directly and after thorough research.
L’Orangerie d’Epoque
We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast called L’Orangerie d’Epoque on Viale Francesco Lo Re near the Porta San Biagio. A rather large building with a central portico that appears to have one owner.
Our room was on the ground floor with its own entrance to the portico. The entryway has a beautiful mosaic tiled floor, reminiscent of ancient Rome or Pompeii.
The room was spacious, with a fireplace and split up into almost four equal parts. There was a large dining area by the entrance that flowed into a living room with several couches.
On the other side, there was another area with a television, breakfast table and then a bed with a desk for writing.
Restaurants
La Cucina di Mamma Elvira
This small restaurant has good food and wine at fairly reasonable prices. We actually went there late for lunch, around 14:40 and they still took our order and served us.
The service was very good and the menu had a decent choice of both local cuisine and other more general Italian items to chose.
I ordered the Eggplant Polpette in Ragu Sauce with Ricotta Cheese, an Insalata Mista (mixed salad) and the Orecchiette with re-milled Semolina with Scottona Red Ragu and Patti ordered the Ciceri and Tria Pasta and shared my Polpette. All the dishes were very good. The wine was Negroamaro from the region and it was very good, served by the glass. The desserts you can see below and the espresso was also very good, not bitter at all.
Miro Wine And Lounge
We stopped here for a drink and decided on a quick bite to eat, since we were both getting hungry and it was only a little passed eleven. We were actually surprised they were serving lunch.
While we waited, I ordered a glass of Negroamaro from Puglia, a very nice wine that reminds me of Barbera. They had a nice bean and cereal soup on the menu that Patti and I decided to try and it was magnificent.
Tranquillo
The restaurant Tranquillo is a more modern restaurant with two locations in Lecce, we chose the one located at Piazza Sant’Oronzo. The service and food were very good.
We dined late again at around 14:30, opting for a larger lunch and skipping dinner. We find this preferrable to eating again late in the evening and going to bed with a full stomach, something that we find does not lend itself to a good night sleep as we get older. I ordered the Apulian Bombette with Cheese on greens with a side order of Potato al Forno and Cicorie (Chickory), and Patti ordered the Cicorie on Pureed Fava Beans.
