I personally beloved spending a few days in Lecce, and I assume it makes a wonderful base for a wider exploration of the Salento region. It actually helps that Lecce will get you a lot more value for money than most places in Italy. In the Nineteen Eighties, Matera started growing its tourism, and most of the sassi had been turned into luxury hotels. Today Matera is a significant hotspot in southern Italy, and is crucial to Puglia itineraries, despite technically not being a half of Puglia. If you’d quite not drive, hand over the reins to this Ostuni, Alberobello, and Polignano a Mare full-day tour.

If you’re splitting your stays between Lecce and somewhere further north, closer to Bari, like Monopoli or Polignano a Mare, I recommend visiting from there. This hands-on orecchiette cooking class shows you tips on how to make fresh pasta from scratch. Orecchiette is ear-shaped pasta typical of Puglia and you’ll be taught the art of shaping it, cooking it, and devouring it. You’ll additionally get pleasure from a lunchtime tasting of 5 regional wines at this picturesque osteria. Whether you’re there for the day or a couple of nights, the Centro Storico of Lecce will declare most of your consideration. You can stroll round at leisure, or be part of a walking tour to be taught the historical and cultural context.

Enjoy The Lecce Wine Bars

Situated on the Ionian coast (and very different from the Turkish area of the identical name), Gallipoli is another Puglia beach city worth a day journey from Lecce. There’s little in the finest way of sights but the seaside is sandy with nice swimming situations and lidos renting umbrellas, in the conventional Italian type. Either take a picnic from Lecce or decide up seafood at one of the casual promenade eateries. One of essentially the most stunning things about Lecce is its status for paper-mâché! The Pugliese have customary decorations utilizing this historic technique because the seventeenth century and you’ll spot paper-mâché souvenirs throughout city. In truth, the ceiling of the Church of Santa Chiara is created from paper-mâché that imitates wood.

One day in Lecce is enough to explore the historic heart and see the gates, church buildings, Baroque monuments, and amphitheater. Gallipoli’s historic center floats off the mainland on a fortified limestone island. Prioritize the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Purità, which also has an unreal stage of ornamentation inside.

Artifacts found throughout the home are also linked to the time periods of the Romans, Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The Lecce Castle was built in the 1540s, under the course of Charles V. The new fort concurrently included and destroyed a previous Norman castle that dated to the yr 1137.

Unforgettable Things To Do In Lecce, Italy (+ Must-know Journey Tips!)

With yet one more day, you possibly can tour a few of the local vineyards or learn to make traditional Pugliese pasta shapes. For families who benefit from the performing arts, Teatro Apollo offers a unique opportunity to expertise Italian tradition via music, dance, and theater. The fantastically restored venue hosts a big selection of performances, together with operas, ballets, and concerts that can appeal to different age groups. While museodeibambini may be more suited to older kids, the experience of attending a live show in such a sublime and historic setting is often a memorable occasion for the entire family.

Winter isn’t a nasty time to go to Lecce; in fact, I even have a pal who hopped on a cheap flight from Prague to Bari and had a ball visiting Puglia’s Christmas markets in December! Some smaller seashore resorts shall be closed down, but this is a nice time for visiting Lecce as properly as Matera, Bari, and Alberobello. You’ll be able to visit the most locations, have loads of flexibility, and not have to fret about strikes or cancellations. Besides the aforementioned tour of Otranto, Leuca, Gallipoli and Galatina, you can drive the 40 minutes in a rental or hop on the 108 bus, which takes one hour.