The Stunning City of Lecce

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The small city of Lecce resides in southern region of Puglia in Italy, right in the heel of the boot, in the Salento Coast area. The city is commonly referred to as the “Florence of the South.” Now, I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting the actual city of Florence yet but I can certainly confirm that Lecce is a stunning city worth a short or long visit. 

Puglia is a lesser-known region to Canadian and American tourists. My husband and I spent two weeks in Lecce in the month of June and it was practically free of English speakers. I did hear some UK accents but other than that, it was mostly filled with Italian, French and German tourists. But the number of tourists was minimal compared to the high traffic cities like Rome, Venice or Florence.

I’ve often heard the expression, “you haven’t been to the real Italy until you’ve been to south of Italy”. Now, I’m not going to pretend that I know Italy at all. I’ve only been to the country twice and still haven’t made it north of Rome – there’s just so much to see! But I will say that I have completely fallen in love with Puglia and Lecce was the perfect home base to explore the region. If you’re looking for an authentic Italian experience, I’d highly recommend considering Lecce.

My favourite part of travel is obviously, the food, and Lecce did not disappoint. Everything from the local pastry called pasticiotto, to the sweet iced coffee called caffé leccese, to the orchiette pasta, to the gelato is delicious, local and very reasonably priced. I’ll be writing a blog post all about the Leccese food we ate so stay tuned for that coming soon!

Lecce also boasts some seriously stunning Baroque architecture. The centro storico (historic centre) is mainly built with a type of limestone called Leccese stone. The soft stone is perfect for carving so you will see loads of ornately carved buildings and churches all over the place. You can admire the architecture in one of its many piazze – small or large squares where people gather, sit on benches and steps and eat gelato, gossip, smoke and people-watch. And on the edge of the piazze are beautiful restaurants and bars with extensive patios, cute shops and stunning churches. One of my favourite ways to enjoy an Italian town or city is from a pretty piazza.

And another way to enjoy the city is just to wander. Especially down quiet streets and alleys. My favourite time of day to explore the city was before and after dinner. The sun is setting and both locals and tourists pour out of their homes and accommodations to slowly meander down the city streets. Shops reopen and fill with window shoppers and gelato eaters. This evening tradition is called la passeggiata. The piazze come alive with friends and family gathering together, children and doggos in tow. They chat and play and eat more gelato or granita. It’s completely magical. The sense of community in Lecce is tangible. And intoxicating. I have never felt so relaxed in the middle of a small, bustling city. 

The temperature while we were in Lecce was about 30ºC during the hottest point of the day and dang, that sun is scorching. By 1pm it’s unbearable and you welcome a cold shower and something called la pennichella/il pisolino (aka la pausa/il riposo in the north). This is the name for the midday break that Italians take during the hottest hours of the day. In Lecce, the city nearly completely empties out as the locals seek shelter from the heat. Be prepared for most (but not all) shops, banks, restaurants and bars to close. We did notice that the supermarket stayed open as well as some more touristy bars (coffee shops). Embrace this break and take a nap, edit your photos, listen to a podcast or read. You’ll need the energy for that evening passeggiata anyway!

If you are looking to do some serious relaxing on a trip to Italy, Lecce may fit the bill. Lecce itself does not have a million tourist attractions like other cities in Italy but if you’re looking for a slower pace of travel, I don’t think you’ll be bored. If you enjoy la dolce far niente (the sweetness of doing nothing), then you’ll be busy savouring a cappuccino, wandering the centro storico, eating creamy gelato in the park, eating orchiette on a patio, sipping Aperol spritzes for hours and drifting in and out of the many cute shops sprinkled around the baroque city streets. Oh, and more gelato. Always more gelato.

Read more about Lecce and what it’s like to visit this beautiful city.