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LECCE
40km
(25 miles) SE of Brindisi, 87km
(54 miles) E of Taranto, 905km
(561 miles) SE of Rome.
Situated
in the heel of the Italian boot,
Lecce lies at the centre of the
Salento Peninsula. It is an old
town that predates the rule of the
ancient Greeks. Very often called
the “Florence of the South” it
is famous for the architecture, barocco
leccese (Lecce baroque), of
many of its buildings. These
structures were erected in the 16th,
17th and 18th
centuries and were made of
fine-grained yellow lime stone.
The artistry of the city’s
masons using this golden material
turned the city into what one
architectural critic called a
"gigantic bowl of overripe
fruit." Unfortunately, recent
renovations have changed the
buildings golden colour
into a drab white-wash. Lecce has
never been a tourist attraction,
and this is probably why many of
the ornately styled buildings have
remained intact. Lecce's charm
lies in the sight that these
lighter baroque structures
present, though many buildings are
now in urgent need of repair.
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