Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The beaches here are free and lightly populated, even at the height of summer.
The Torre Guaceto nature group also offers
snorkeling adventures
(Apr-Oct by
appointment at
%
0831-989885; equipment provided)
for exploring the Adriatic's
sea plants and sea life. These are well-done, professional expeditions and a great
way to explore the Adriatic Sea.
BRINDISI
Farther down the coast from here is Brindisi, which you should avoid unless you
must make a ferry connection there; the town's poor reputation has been con-
firmed by serious attacks against tourists—women especially—even in broad day-
light. This is the place where traveling in a group is recommended, even when
you're just waiting for a ferry. (Most ferry connections to Greece and Croatia leave
in the evening, so you should easily be able to avoid sleeping in Brindisi.)
There are, however, some worthwhile sights in this ancient port town. Among
the best to see are the 1st-century
B
.
C
.
Colonna Romana,
on top of Virgil's Steps,
which marks the end of the Via Appia that once ran all the way from Rome's Porta
Capena. There is also an 11th-century
Duomo
(Mon-Fri 7:30am-12:30pm and
4:30-7:30pm)
on the center square and the
Museo Archeologico Provinciale
(
%
0831
-
221401; free admission; Mon-Fri 9am-1:30pm, Tues and Thurs also 3:30-
6pm, and Sat-Sun 9am-1pm)
nearby, which is overflowing with various artifacts
found along the Via Appia.
LECCE
555
One of the cities that makes Puglia and the Salento Peninsula captivating is
undoubtedly Lecce. It's a true crossroads, connecting easily with anywhere else
you'd want to go in the area, and as cosmopolitan as it gets in Southern Italy,
thanks in part to the bustling university at its heart. Lecce is often referred to as
the “Florence of the South,” and is special not only for the cultural energy that
abounds here but also for its architecture, the exquisite style of Leccese baroque.
For reasons that remain unknown, the architecture of Lecce evolved directly from
the Romanesque to the high baroque, skipping the Gothic stage. That is empha-
sized here by the extensive use of the quirky, fanciful symbols that were popular
in the Middle Ages, but rarely used elsewhere on baroque churches: snarling drag-
ons, griffins, placid mermaids, pelicans, and a menagerie of other pagan symbols.
These fantastic beasts are carved in exquisite detail, thanks to the use of a local
sandstone that's particularly soft and malleable when first quarried, hardening
after long exposure to the air. The plasticity of this stone allowed the carvers here
to give free rein to their imaginations, and the abundance of swoops, curlicues,
and various doodads on the buildings can have an almost psychedelic effect.
Many of Lecce's churches were designed by Antonio Zimbalo, whom locals
still refer to as
“Zingarello,”
or gypsy. His eye for detail and pure flamboyance are
evident in the city's major churches like the 17th-century
Basilica della Santa
Croce
55
(on the Piazza della Santa Croce),
which took 150 years to decorate.
The facade is marked by two balconies on which a heavy concentration of ornate
faces, flowers, and fauna ooze out from the stone. Zimbalo's other Leccese mas-
terpiece is the
Church of San Giovanni Battista
(“del Rosario” on some maps),
near
Porta Rudiae on the southwest edge of the old center. Here, too, the mix of pagan
and Christian symbols is particularly noteworthy and the details are so fascinating
