James Gaston

Bari to Lecce by train

Lecce map

A view of Lecce 7 Nov 2024 A view of Lecce 7 Nov 2024 Lecce --

We've come to Lecce to see its richly-decorated Baroque churches, and this being Italy, there are a lot of churches.

The 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. The style of decoration, called Barocco Leccese, flourished from the 16^th to the 18^th centuries and was applied not only to churches but to other buildings as well. 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.

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

View of Roman theatre from apartment

Bedroom with balcony

Living room

Half of kitchen

Grimac

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

Bari to Lecce by train

Lecce map