Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Colonna di Sant'Oronzo
(Piazza Sant'Oronzo)
A statue of Lecce's patron saint perches precariously on a column in the
piazza. The column, originally from Brindisi, marked the end of the Via Appia - the Ro-
man road that stretched from Rome to Brindisi.
MONUMENT
Museo Teatro Romano
HISTORIC SITE
( 0832 27 91 96; Via degli Ammirati; adult/reduced €3/2; 9.30am-1.30pm & 5-7.30pm Mon-Fri,
9.30am-1.30pm Sat )
Uncovered in the 1930s, this small Roman theatre has well-preserved
russet-coloured Roman mosaics and frescoes.
Castello di Carlo V
CASTLE
( 0832 24 65 17; 9am-1pm & 5-9pm)
This 16th-century castle was built around a
12th-century Norman tower to the orders of Charles V and consists of two concentric
trapezoidal structures. It's been used as a prison, a court and military headquarters; now
you can wander around the baronial spaces and visit the occasional art exhibition.
LECCE'S NOTABLE CHURCHES
On Corso Vittorio Emanuele, the interior of 17th-century
Chiesa di Sant'Irene
OFFLINE MAP
GOOGLE MAP
contains a magnificent pair of mirror-image baroque altarpieces, facing each other
across the transept. Other notable baroque churches include the following:
9.30-11.30am daily, plus 4.30-6.30pm Mon-Sat) A notable baroque church with every niche a swirl of
twisting columns and ornate statuary.
Located 200m to the south of Chiesa di Santa Chiara; and the last work of Giuseppe Zimbalo.
Chiesa del Rosario
(Via Libertini) Instead of the intended dome roof, this church ended up with a
quick-fix wooden one following Zimbalo's death before the building was completed.
Chiesa dei SS Nicolò e Cataldo
(Via San Nicola; 9am-noon Sep-Apr) The Chiesa dei SS Nicolò
e Cataldo, near Porta Napoli, was built by the Normans in 1180. It got caught up in the city's baroque
frenzy and was revamped in 1716 by the prolific Giuseppe Cino, who retained the Romanesque rose
window and portal.
