Our BnB in Lecce was on the second floor of a more modern building located at one end of the Piazza Sant’Oronzo. The building`s retrofitted elevator was very small, so once again, Scott carried the bikes up several flights of stairs to where we could store them in an alcove across from our room. Our accommodation operated like a BnB but the space was like a hotel. In the morning our host offered a nice continental type breakfast, that included yogurt and fresh fruit, in a small dining area.
We planned two nights in Lecce because it is quite a large town with the second-highest population in the Apulia region. It is also over two thousand years old and rich in Baroque architecture. It is famous for "Lecce stone"—a particular kind of limestone that is very soft and workable, and thus suitable for sculpture. Perhaps this is a key reason why Lecce is called by some as "The Florence of the South". All good reasons to allocate some time to explore an amazing city. But first, after a a couple of weeks on the road it was also a good opportunity to find a laundromat and complete a load of laundry. Google maps suggested there was just such a place not far from where we were staying.
This is the view from our second floor room. You can see a small excavation in the foreground exposing more of the roman amphitheatre. Front and centre is a large column and statue of Sant'Oronzo.
A closer look at the Roman amphitheater of the first or second century. The monument was discovered during the construction of the Bank of Italy building, carried out in the early 1900s.
The column, about 29 metres, high represents a thank you to the saint who, according to the people of Lecce, preserved the city from the plague in 1656. The column was built in Brindisi, using materials obtained from two Roman columns that had collapsed in that city.
This group of cyclists were passing through the piazza. A few days later we caught up to them on the way to Santa Maria di Leuca. They are from Belgium and started their ride in Lecce. On the wall behind them is he clock of wonders.
With our clothes clean and put away we headed out to see more of Lecce. We thought that one of the tourist trains would be fun way to see the old town but we had trouble finding the correct starting point and they would not let us join them enroute so we took in the sights on foot. The old area of Lecce is a very easy wander!
Lecce is home to 22 churches. This one is the cathedral of Lecce, whose official name is the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. It is the main place of Catholic worship in Lecce.
