We've come to Lecce to see its richly-decorated Baroque churches, and this being Italy there are a lot of churches.
This Baroque decoration is credited to the local building stone, a sandstone that is easy to work when first quarried, but hardens with time to form a surface which stands up well to erosion.
Masons soaked the carved stone in a mixture containing whole milk to harden it and decrease its porosity. Nonetheless, most buildings in Lecce show some decay.
The style of decoration, called Barocco Leccese, flourished from the 16th to the 18th
centuries and was applied not only to churches but to other buildings as well.
Our apartment, while not encased in Baroqueness, is old, spacious and charming.
It is in the middle of the old walled town, roughly midway between the castle and Lecce's cathedral.
Best of all, the apartment has a fine view of two things, Piazza Sant 'Oronzo, a large square that features a Roman column, and next to that is a large Roman amphitheatre. (There is also a bit of construction work; it looks like the piazza is being resurfaced.)
The only downsides to the apartment are the tiny bathroom and the three flights of stairs.
The Piazza's Roman column is topped with a statue of St Orontius who was appointed Bishop of Lecce by St Paul in AD 57 and martyred during Nero's persecution around AD 67. The Roman amphitheatre dates to the 1st century BC and was excavated only recently, in 1938.
The photos below were taken from the apartment.
View of Piazza Sant‘Oronzo from apartment
Tue, 5 Nov 2024 at 10:41
in Lecce, Italy
Pixel 8 Pro 7mm f/1.7 1/1600s ISO 18
2048 x 1542
1021 kb
jamesgaston.ca/photo/10673
Lecce or
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View of Piazza Sant‘Oronzo from apartment
Tue, 5 Nov 2024 at 10:41
in Lecce, Italy
Pixel 8 Pro 7mm f/1.7 1/1600s ISO 18
2048 x 1542
1021 kb
jamesgaston.ca/photo/10673
Lecce or
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View of Piazza Sant‘Oronzo from apartment
Tue, 5 Nov 2024 at 10:41
in Lecce, Italy
Pixel 8 Pro 7mm f/1.7 1/1600s ISO 18
2048 x 1542
1021 kb
jamesgaston.ca/photo/10673
Lecce or
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View of Roman theatre from apartment
Tue, 5 Nov 2024 at 10:42
in Lecce, Italy
Pixel 8 Pro 7mm f/1.7 1/1200s ISO 18
2048 x 1542
1 Mb
jamesgaston.ca/photo/10672
Lecce or
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View of Roman theatre from apartment
Tue, 5 Nov 2024 at 10:42
in Lecce, Italy
Pixel 8 Pro 7mm f/1.7 1/1200s ISO 18
2048 x 1542
1 Mb
jamesgaston.ca/photo/10672
Lecce or
All photos
View of Roman theatre from apartment
Tue, 5 Nov 2024 at 10:42
in Lecce, Italy
Pixel 8 Pro 7mm f/1.7 1/1200s ISO 18
2048 x 1542
1 Mb
jamesgaston.ca/photo/10672
Lecce or
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Bedroom with balcony
Mon, 4 Nov 2024 at 15:33
in Lecce, Italy
iPhone 14 Pro 2mm f/2.2 1/100s ISO 320
2048 x 1536
749 kb
jamesgaston.ca/photo/10646
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Bedroom with balcony
Mon, 4 Nov 2024 at 15:33
in Lecce, Italy
iPhone 14 Pro 2mm f/2.2 1/100s ISO 320
2048 x 1536
749 kb
jamesgaston.ca/photo/10646
Lecce or
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Bedroom with balcony
Mon, 4 Nov 2024 at 15:33
in Lecce, Italy
iPhone 14 Pro 2mm f/2.2 1/100s ISO 320
2048 x 1536
749 kb
jamesgaston.ca/photo/10646
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Living room
Mon, 4 Nov 2024 at 15:31
in Lecce, Italy
iPhone 14 Pro 7mm f/1.8 1/35s ISO 320
1536 x 2048
490 kb
jamesgaston.ca/photo/10645
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Living room
Mon, 4 Nov 2024 at 15:31
in Lecce, Italy
iPhone 14 Pro 7mm f/1.8 1/35s ISO 320
1536 x 2048
490 kb
jamesgaston.ca/photo/10645
Lecce or
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Living room
Mon, 4 Nov 2024 at 15:31
in Lecce, Italy
iPhone 14 Pro 7mm f/1.8 1/35s ISO 320
1536 x 2048
490 kb
jamesgaston.ca/photo/10645
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Half of kitchen
Mon, 4 Nov 2024 at 15:29
in Lecce, Italy
iPhone 14 Pro 7mm f/1.8 1/50s ISO 250
1536 x 2048
464 kb
jamesgaston.ca/photo/10643
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Half of kitchen
Mon, 4 Nov 2024 at 15:29
in Lecce, Italy
iPhone 14 Pro 7mm f/1.8 1/50s ISO 250
1536 x 2048
464 kb
jamesgaston.ca/photo/10643
Lecce or
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Half of kitchen
Mon, 4 Nov 2024 at 15:29
in Lecce, Italy
iPhone 14 Pro 7mm f/1.8 1/50s ISO 250
1536 x 2048
464 kb
jamesgaston.ca/photo/10643
Lecce or
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Grimac
Mon, 4 Nov 2024 at 15:29
in Lecce, Italy
iPhone 14 Pro 7mm f/1.8 1/35s ISO 500
1536 x 2048
490 kb
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The precursor to the pod espresso machines, perhaps? The Lecce kitchen had a new-to-me espresso machine that takes a paper-enclosed coffee puck. The puck is sort of like a tea bag. Place the puck on the portafilter then push the big lever to the right to raise and seal it. We will encounter a similar machine later, in Napoli.
Grimac
Mon, 4 Nov 2024 at 15:29
in Lecce, Italy
iPhone 14 Pro 7mm f/1.8 1/35s ISO 500
1536 x 2048
490 kb
jamesgaston.ca/photo/10641
Lecce or
All photos
The precursor to the pod espresso machines, perhaps? The Lecce kitchen had a new-to-me espresso machine that takes a paper-enclosed coffee puck. The puck is sort of like a tea bag. Place the puck on the portafilter then push the big lever to the right to raise and seal it. We will encounter a similar machine later, in Napoli.
Grimac
Mon, 4 Nov 2024 at 15:29
in Lecce, Italy
iPhone 14 Pro 7mm f/1.8 1/35s ISO 500
1536 x 2048
490 kb
jamesgaston.ca/photo/10641
Lecce or
All photos
The precursor to the pod espresso machines, perhaps? The Lecce kitchen had a new-to-me espresso machine that takes a paper-enclosed coffee puck. The puck is sort of like a tea bag. Place the puck on the portafilter then push the big lever to the right to raise and seal it. We will encounter a similar machine later, in Napoli.