Arriving in Lecce

Thursday October 21 was another beautiful day as we said goodbye to Martina Franca and hello to Lecce, the next stop of our trip.  High of 23C and blue sky in both cities.

We went for a walk in the morning before we left, stopping in at Caffè Tripoli, where the waiter asked if we wanted our usual order.  We had to tell him we were just getting cornetti for our train trip.

Farewell to our apartment and quiet street (grey door on the right side of the photo)

Looking down our street the other way- lots of the ceramic pumi on balconies

We've been fairly impressed by the waste collection system in Puglia.  Each apartment we have been in has four separate small containers under the sink- colour coded for paper, glass, plastic and organics. There is a schedule for when you put the containers out in front of your building.  They get put out after 10:00 p.m. the night before the scheduled pick-up and get collected in the very early morning.  Organics are picked up the most often.

Thursday morning was paper pick-up, hence the blue colour

We have so enjoyed our time in Martina Franca--- a real jewel---we highly recommend a visit for anyone travelling to Puglia.

Alonso waves goodbye at the Porta di Santo Stefano

We then walked to the train station and boarded the 11:55 a.m. train to Lecce.   It is just over a 2 1/2 hour slow train ride through some beautiful countryside stopping at 10 small towns before we got to Lecce at 

2:34 p.m. (on-time!).

Trulli in the countryside near Martina Franca

Great setting

 Cisternino--another interesting town known for its towers

We passed through miles and miles of olive trees.  Alonso says he is "mesmerised" by the olive trees.

Olive trees for miles and miles in Puglia

Vineyards for a change of pace

The trip was quite enjoyable and there were only a few people on the train.  We took a cab from the train station to our Airbnb which is about two streets away from the Centro Storico on a very quiet street.  Our host met us at the apartment and gave us an orientation.  We are on the first floor (second floor in Canada) of a small apartment building with an elevator.  The place is HUGE-- two floors with a small balcony.  Very well equipped.  

View back from the living room into the kitchen dining area- small balcony

View from the apartment

Part of the bathroom

Stairs going up to the loft 

The very large loft bedroom with vaulted ceiling

Looking down from the second floor

Looking in from the living room 

Lecce has a population of around 98,000.  It is often called "The Florence of the South" due to its Baroque architecture.   Lecce was one of the most important cities of southern Italy from the 15th century, and, starting in 1630, it was enriched with precious Baroque monuments.

The city also has a long traditional affinity with Greek culture going back to its foundation; the Messapians who founded the city are said to have been Cretans.  The "Lecce stone", a particular kind of limestone is one of the city's main exports, because it is very soft and workable, and thus suitable for sculptures.  The city is also an important agricultural centre- particularly for its olive oil and wine production.  It is home to the University of Salento, founded in 1955.

We walked to Piazza Sant' Oronzo, about 10 minutes away from our apartment, where the Tourist Information office is located.  On the way, we walked by the beautiful Giardini Pubblici (public gardens), just a few minutes from our apartment.

Very large tree

Lots to see in the Piazza Sant'Oronzo.

Column of Sant'Oronzo, the city's patron saint

The tourist office (large i on the glass door)

The Roman Amphitheatre is adjacent to the Tourist Office.  It was not unearthed until 1929, but it was built in the second century AD and had aa capacity of 25,000. 

Edge of Amphitheatre

Next to the Tourist office

Info on Amphitheatre

Incredible location in the heart of the city

Another view

Across from the Roman Amphitheatre was the baroque Chiesa Santaa Maria della Grazia, built in the late 1500s.  There are statues of St. Peter and Paul in the niches near the door.

Chiesa Santa Maria dell Grazia

We wandered a bit and came across the Chiesa di Sant'Irene, which was constructed between 1591-1639.

Chiesa di Sant'Irene

We had a coffee on Piazza Sant'Oronzo and then found a very large supermarket and picked up some essential groceries.  There is a farmers' market tomorrow morning that we will try and visit.  We were tired from our train trip, so we had a home-cooked dinner.  Chicken, potatoes and cooked tomatoes, green salad, part of a wonderful bottle of Primitivo which we got from a great wine store, and cantucci for dessert.

Chez Alonso

On Friday we will start exploring Lecce.