Lecce and Surroundings

With its 90.000 citizens, Lecce is the main city of a province of nearly one million dwellers. It borders Brindisi and Taranto to north and is surrounded by the Ionio and the Adriatic seas, making it a unique peninsula. The first inhabitants were the Messapians, with their centre Rudiae, where the poet Quinto Ennio was born. In Roman Age Lecce, called Lupiae, became important under Marco Aurelio's empire witnessed by the theatre and the amphitheatre, only partly brought to light. It belonged to the Eastern Roman Empire and then gained importance during the Normans. The Spanish reign left an indelible mark, such as the castle of Charles V. Known as the Florence of the South, Lecce maintains its peculiarity in the Baroque style, exalted by the typical local stone. But not only.