June 10
Evidence of Lecce can be found as early as the Trojan War (12th or 13th century BC) but then it was called Sybar. Lecce has been occupied continuously (but with different names) ever since. Now it is considered Florence of the South because of the amazing architecture.
Today was slightly cooler (only upper 80s) than yesterday and it was pretty windy so there was a nice breeze, especially in the shade. It was still hot, though, so we decided to have an easier day (only 16,400 steps; about 7 miles). We started with the Charles V Castle built in the middle of the 16th century. The ground level was free and since we just saw a big castle yesterday, choose not to pay to see the interior.
After strolling through a market, where Peter got a beach towel, we headed to the Basilica of Santa Croce. Once we finally found it, we discovered that we had to buy tickets at the Piazza Duomo, about a 15 minute walk back in the direction we came from. But we made good use of our time and found a few other cool places, including the Roman Amphitheater which was built in the 2nd century. Over the centuries other monuments were built above it so only part of it has been excavated.
We also stopped at a couple of churches (of course we did) between the amphitheater and the Duomo. The first was the Chiesa Del Gesu, a small but beautiful church. It contained the relics from St. Bernadino, the patron saint of Lecce.
The last stop before the Duomo was the Chiesa di Sant’Irene. This church is considered the historic center of Lecce and was built beginning in 1592. This one was built in the Baroque style and is, therefore, much more ornate. The carvings on the columns were amazing.
We finally made it to the Duomo, which we had seen last night when we went to dinner. The Cathedral was built in 1144 but was rebuilt in 1659. The remains under the main altar are those of Saint Orontius of Lecce, yet another patron saint of the city.
In addition to the church, our ticket allowed us to visit the church museum. There were some nice paintings, silver pieces and statues. It was very reminiscent of the museum at the Abbey of Monte Cassino but not as large.
Once we were done here, we headed back to the Basilica of Santa Croce which was built over 300 years from 1353 to 1695. Once again in the Baroque style, it’s richly decorated. We didn’t get to see the outside as it’s undergoing renovations. To tell the truth, the Basilica, the Duomo and St. Irene’s had very similar looking interiors with the carved columns and ornate decorations.
Once we finished at the Basilica, we stopped for a light lunch then decided that 4 churches, 1 castle and an amphitheater was plenty for one day. We were hot, tired and wanted to get back to the hotel and the pool. It took about 45 minutes to walk home because we stopped several times to look at a few things on the way, including the Naples Gate, which at one time, was the main gate of the city. It was erected in 1548 in anticipation of a state visit from Charles V. It was beautiful.
Then it was home for a swim (for Peter) and laundry (for me). The laundry is on the same floor as the pool so it was easy to keep up with the clothes while hanging out under an umbrella on the pool deck. Of course, in Europe laundry is never easy so it took almost 3 1/2 hours to do 2 loads, but now everything we have is clean; at least for now.
Tomorrow we’re off to Alberobello where we are staying in a Trulli house; we can’t wait.