Terrific Salento: Lecce and Otranto
Описание
A tour to discover two jewels of Salento (the peninsular area of Puglia): Lecce (called the Southern Florence because of the richness of its architecture and included by Lonely Planet in the top ten of the cities to visit) and Otranto (Unesco World Heritage Site).
The walking tour of Lecce will be an amazing itinerary through its history and traditions: Sant’Oronzo square, Roman Amphitheatre, Roman Theatre, Celestini Palace, Holy Cross Basilica with its wonderfull baroque facade, the stunning Duomo square (one of the few “closed” square of Italy), some noble palaces (Carafa, Adorno, Marrese, Palmieri-Guarini, etc.), Charles V Castle, some other interesting churches (S. Irene, S. Matteo, S. Chiara, the Greek, etc.), the ancient city gates (Rudiae, Napoli, S. Biagio), the Jewish heritage, an artisan workshop of the traditional papier-maché of Lecce.
During the tour we can stop and/or taste a typical “street food” of Lecce (from the salty Rustico to the sweet Pasticciotto or an ice-cream) and/or a coffee in a artisanal roasting bar.
In Otranto we will visit the historic city center with the Aragonese castle, the ancient walls and gate, the cathedral with its astonishing mosaics with hundreds hidden meanings, the Byzantine church of St. Peter, the terraces overlooking the picturesque port. During the tour it’s possible to drive along some stunning panoramic roads and to stop and enjoy the breathtaking views of the rugged coastline.
Some idea for changes to the itinerary
It’s also possible to modify / extend the tour with a meal in a typical restaurant (in Lecce, Otranto, in a winery or alongside the coast); a wine, cheese or some other typical product tasting; a visit to some other attraction in Lecce (i.e. the Museum Faggiano with more than 2.000 years of history discovered by accident, the church of San Niccolò and Cataldo a wonderful example of medieval architecture and the neighbors Monastery of Olivetani and the monumental cemetery) or in the surroundings: Galatina wih the astonishing frescos of the Basilica called the southern Assisi), Corigliano with its baroque castle, the area of dolmen and menhir, the lively and picturesque Gallipoli, Santa Cesarea Terme (with Villa Sticchi: the symbol of the Apulian liberty architecture, Castro (with the fortified hamlet with the ruins of the Minerva Temple).