Also known as the Florence of the south, Lecce is the main tourist center of Salento and is just 12 km from the Adriatic coast. Anciently colonized by the Messapi tribe, the city came under the dominion of the Romans, who renamed it Lupiae. Today Lecce is best known for its beautiful Baroque architecture, evident in the portals of the palaces and churches. Many of these buildings are located along the streets enclosed by 3 access gates: Porta San Biagio, Porta Napoli and Porta Rudiae. Most of the local monuments are built with Lecce stone, so brittle and mouldable that master sculptors were able to create elegant embroidery and inlays, as can be seen on the facade of the Basilica of Santa Croce and in the spectacular Piazza Duomo, dominated by the bell tower and overlooked by the Palazzo del Seminario. In Lecce you cannot miss a visit to the Castle which stands near the central Piazza Sant'Oronzo and the Roman Amphitheatre, also a short distance from the square. The Salento city is also known for the invention of the Lecce pesta, a material with which many statues of saints and Madonnas were built between the 17th and 18th centuries. For some, the tradition of papier-mâché work originated with barbers, but over the centuries it has become an art form that has gained popularity. Today the history of this form of craftsmanship is told thanks to the Papier-mâché Museum, housed in the Castle.