- Lecce's old town is a showcase of ornate baroque in soft local stone
- The Salento has two coasts with excellent beaches
- Brindisi airport is about 45 minutes away
- A car is best for beaches, but Lecce itself is very walkable
- Airports
- Brindisi (BDS), Bari (BRI)
- Best time to go
- May-June and September-October
- Type
- Province
Lecce is the main city of the Salento, the very tip of the heel of Italy. Its old town is built from a soft, golden limestone that local craftsmen carved into astonishingly elaborate church fronts in the 17th and 18th centuries, earning the city the nickname "the Florence of the South". It is compact, lively in the evenings and full of good places to eat.
The province of Lecce covers most of the Salento peninsula, with the Adriatic on one side, the Ionian on the other, and beaches, cliffs and small towns in between. See our Puglia guide and Italy guide for more.
Things to do
- Basilica di Santa Croce – Lecce's most famous façade, covered in carved figures, animals and flowers.
- Piazza del Duomo – an enclosed square with the cathedral, its tall bell tower and the bishop's palace, beautifully lit at night.
- Piazza Sant'Oronzo – the main square, with a Roman amphitheatre partly excavated below street level.
- Roman theatre and museums – a small Roman theatre and the Faggiano museum, where a family found layers of history beneath their house.
- Papier-mâché workshops – Lecce has a long tradition of cartapesta figures, still made in small workshops.
- Eat local – pasticciotto custard pastries, rustico savoury puffs and iced almond coffee.
- Otranto – a walled seaside town with a cathedral famous for its 12th-century floor mosaic, about 45 minutes away.
- Salento beaches – Torre dell'Orso and the Grotta della Poesia on the Adriatic; Porto Cesareo, Gallipoli and Punta Prosciutto on the Ionian.
Where to stay
| Area | Why stay there |
|---|---|
| Lecce old town | Best for sightseeing, restaurants and evenings out |
| Otranto | Seaside town with an old centre and nearby beaches |
| Gallipoli | Old town on an island, with beaches and nightlife |
| Masserie in the countryside | Pools and peace, with a car for days out |
| Santa Maria di Leuca | The far tip of the heel, for a quieter stay |
Getting there
Fly to Brindisi (BDS), roughly 40 km and 45 minutes from Lecce by road, with buses also linking the airport to the city. Bari (BRI) is a good alternative, about two hours away. Trains run from Bari and Brindisi to Lecce, which is the end of the main Adriatic line. Local trains and buses serve some Salento towns, but for beaches a hire car is much more flexible.
Best time to visit
May, June, September and early October are ideal, with warm weather and sea. July and August are hot and the beaches are very busy, especially in mid-August. Late August brings the Notte della Taranta, a large festival of pizzica folk music in Melpignano. Winter is mild and quiet, a good time for the city alone.
Lecce's old town has a restricted traffic zone (ZTL). Park outside it and walk in to avoid fines.
Top attractions in Lecce
LandmarkColosseum
Rome's great amphitheatre, where up to 50,000 spectators once watched gladiator fights, is the city's most iconic sight.
LandmarkFlorence Duomo
Florence's cathedral, crowned by Brunelleschi's record-breaking dome, is the symbol of the city, with the bell tower…
NatureMount Etna
Europe's tallest active volcano, with lava fields, craters and sweeping views over eastern Sicily.
NaturePath of the Gods
A spectacular cliff-top trail high above the Amalfi Coast, with views over Positano and out to Capri, that is free to…
LandmarkPompeii
The Roman town buried by Vesuvius in AD 79, Pompeii is the most complete ancient city in the world and an unforgettable…
ViewpointSeceda
A grassy ridge above Val Gardena that drops away in a dramatic wall of jagged peaks, reached by cable car from Ortisei.
Lecce on the map
Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need in Lecce?
One or two days is enough for the city. Add several more to enjoy the Salento beaches and towns such as Otranto and Gallipoli.
Is Lecce a good base for beaches?
Yes, with a car. The Adriatic beaches near Torre dell'Orso and the Ionian beaches near Porto Cesareo are both around 30-45 minutes away.
What is Lecce famous for?
Its baroque architecture in golden Lecce stone, papier-mâché crafts and food such as pasticciotto.
Written by
Thomas Ski, mountains & expeditions editor
Thomas is happiest above the tree line or below the Antarctic Circle. He writes our ski, mountain and polar expedition guides.
More from ThomasWe research every guide carefully, but prices, opening times and timetables change. Check them shortly before you travel. Links to our booking partners are affiliate links.
