Trip Report - Lecce, Puglia - Part 4
Doing
Doumo, Chiesa di San Matteo, Chiesa di Santa Clara and Basilica di Santa Croce
Lecce is the city of Baroque and you will find countless chapels, churches, and stunning palazzi carved from the soft, local, golden limestone – pietra Leccese. In my opinion the best way to explore the main monuments is with the LeccEcclesiae - which is a self-guided itinerary developed by the diocese aimed at helping visitors discover the city’s most outstanding baroque monuments all with a single ticket. The basic LeccEcclesiae ticket is €11 - there are various addons for those interested. You can buy online or at one of the monuments.
The Awaiting Table Cookery School
Silvestro Silvestori, the founder of The Awaiting Table Cookery School, is a force of nature. Chef, sommelier (of both wine and olive oil), teacher, storyteller, champion for local producers, and entrepreneur. Spending a day in his company was one of the highlights of our trip to the Mezzogiorno.
We met Silvestro, baskets in hand, at the Piazza Sant'Oronzo. He first took us shopping for fresh vegetables and fish, the ingredients for the meal we would be cooking together.
Produce in hand, we, and four other students, were invited into his enchanting home and kitchen where, with the help of Anna, we made fresh pasta, steamed mussels, and grilled fish.
We ate together around a lovely dining table while Silvestro poured wine, educated us about olive oil, and shared some of his amazing selection of amaro.
This really is an amazing experience and if you are lucky enough to visit Lecce, do spend some of your time there with Silvestro!!
Town of Alberobello
The town of Alberobello is a 80 minute drive from Lecce and is famous for it's unique trullo buildings. A Unesco World Heritage Site, the town is overrun by tourists taking pictures of the trulli - beehive-shaped houses, white-tipped as if dusted by snow.
You need a maximum two hours to visit and then get out of there as quickly as you can.
Town of Locorotondo
Locorotondo is one of Puglia's prettiest towns with a proudly conserved, easily-walkable centre and a calm, laid-back atmosphere. Various viewpoints provide stunning vistas across Puglia's beautiful country. Such a lovely contrast after the tourist tack of
Alberobello.
We had lunch in Restaurante U Curdunn. This was such a perfect lunch experience. Lovely seats in their outside space, excellent selection of local food and wine, and lovely staff. Could not recommend it highly enough. A trip to Locorotondo can be neatly combined with your visit to Alberobello.
Town of Matera
The town of Matera is a two hour drive from Lecce. Famously, Matera, is one of the world's longest continuously inhabited human settlements. The ancient part is called the Sassi-di-Matera, an area of cave dwellings carved into the rock of two canyons of the River Gravina. The town's history combines pre-history, ingenuity, poverty, and stunning disregard from central government. I highly recommend having a guided tour to hear the stories told by a local and also to get better access to the key sights and monuments.
It is possible get a good overview of the town and its history in three hours or or so, but you could also easily spend a couple of days here.
Town of Otranto
The charming sea side town of Otranto is a 40 minute drive from Lecce. We spent a couple of hours one morning walking around the town, visiting its famous cathedral, and enjoying a coffee at one of the many water front cafes.
The Cattedrale di Santa Maria Annunziata is not to be missed (and more than worth the drive from Lecce) for two amazing things : one macabre and one jaw dropping. In a glass case behind the altar are displayed the bones of 813 martyrs, massacred by the Turks in 1480. Less macabre is the cathedral’s 12th century medieval mosaic covering nearly the entire floor - truly jaw dropping.
