Known as the Florence of the South, Lecce is the provincial capital of the Salento peninsula, only 12km from the Adriatic Sea. The city, which has strong Messapian roots, was known to its Roman rulers as Lupiae. Today, it welcomes visitors with magnificent Baroque architecture, which blazes from the portals of its palaces and the facades of the many churches that line the streets inside the three ancient gates: Porta Rudiae, Porta San Biagio and Porta Napoli.
The common factor in this characteristic Baroque exuberance is the local “Lecce stone”, so soft and malleable that master stonecutters were able to create highly sophisticated stone embroidery. The best examples of this style are the façade of the Basilica of Santa Croce and the spectacular Piazza Duomo, home to a soaring bell tower, and overlooked by the bishop’s palace and the Palazzo del Seminario.
In contrast, strength and majesty characterise the castle built by Emperor Charles V and designed by Gian Giacomo dell’Acaya. The Roman Amphitheatre, adjacent to the central Piazza Sant’Oronzo, offers an intriguing vantage point into the city’s history.
Apulia Film Commission
Cineporti di Puglia/Bari — c/o Fiera del Levante - Lungomare Starita 1 — 70132 Bari
Phone: +39 080 9752900
Fax: +39 080 9147464
Email: email@apuliafilmcommission.it
