Lecce and its Historic Center

Lecce is the city where baroque architecture is at its best. The city is the heart of Salento and attracts many people precisely for its cultural, artistic, historical, and gastronomic ferment. The beauty of the historical center of Lecce is internationally recognized. Walking through the historical center almost always means having your nose raised in admiration of the many different styles of historical buildings, doors and monuments that abound in the city.

Lecce is proof that Salento is not just beaches and sea: a visit to this elegant and lively city will allow you to discover a side of Puglia that you would never have imagined. The pinnacle of Lecce's beauty is to be found in its churches and buildings built with the famous Lecce stone: this natural stone is present throughout the Salento, an area with a calcareous subsoil, once crossed by underground rivers full of life. Lecce stone is resistant but very malleable, so much so that it is called the soft stone for its ease of working, and is the undisputed protagonist of Lecce Baroque, a style that spread from the seventeenth century, with the arrival of the Spanish, and that it was used for both sacred and religious buildings. The historical center of Lecce is a real pearl of your vacation in Salento, and not only for the buildings!

The Church of Santa Irene

Santa Irene was the patron saint of the city of Lecce until the seventeenth century, when she was replaced by Sant'Oronzo, but the church dedicated to her is sumptuously beautiful. The façade has two different styles: the lower part has empty spaces and niches together with a large door that ends with the statue of the saint. In the upper part, divided into three parts, there is a large central window. The façade of the church of Santa Irene is truly impressive and rich in decorations, the interior is also rich in stucco and niches dedicated to the saint.

The dome

If you are in Lecce, you cannot miss a visit to the Duomo, with its gilded ceilings and marble floors. Dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta and Sant'Oronzo, patron saints of the city, it is the highest expression of Lecce Baroque. Inserted in the frame of Piazza del Duomo, the Cathedral is located between the bell tower and the ancient seminary building. The beauty of its interior is surprising: full of statues of saints, decorated with the delicate color of the Lecce stone, which contrasts with the darker marble of the altar and the balustrades, while the light coming from the side windows creates a suggestive atmosphere.

The Basilica of Santa Croce

This basilica is located in Piazza Sant'Oronzo, the heart of the city, where the citizens gather in the shadow of the statue of the patron saint. What makes this basilica special are the many statues, the zoomorphic and floral friezes, the cherubs, and the many plant decorations that can be seen along the façade and also inside the chapels of San Francesco and Celestino.

The Castle of Charles V

Another attraction not to be missed in Lecce is undoubtedly the Castle of Charles V, built in the sixteenth century by the sovereign himself, who entrusted its construction to the architect Gian Giacomo dell'Acaya. Even today, when you look at the castle, you can feel the power and greatness of the king. Its structure is imposing, massive, so much so that it is impossible not to notice it. Today there are several guided tours of the castle.