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. Formerly settled by the Messapi tribe, the city came under the rule of the Romans, who renamed it Lupiae.
Today Lecce is best known for its beautiful Baroque architecture, evident in the portals of palaces and churches. Many of these buildings are located along the streets enclosed by 3 gateways: Porta San Biagio, Porta Napoli and Porta Rudiae.
Most of the local monuments are built with Lecce stone, which is so friable and moldable that master sculptors were able to create elegant embroideries and inlays, as can be seen on the façade of the Basilica of Santa Croce and in the spectacular Piazza Duomo, dominated by the bell tower and overlooked by the Seminary Palace.
In Lecce, then, a visit to the Castle, which stands near the central Piazza Sant'Oronzo, and the Roman Amphitheater, also a short distance from the square, cannot be missed. The Salento city is also known for the invention of Lecce papier-mâché, a material with which so many statues of saints and Madonnas were built between the 17th and 18th centuries. For some, the tradition of papier-mâché originated with barbers, but over the centuries it became an art form that gained popularity. Today the history of this form of craftsmanship is told thanks to the Papier Mâché Museum, housed in the Castle.