Clockwise from top left: Church of Santa Croce; Roman Theatre; the cathedral's bell tower; Lecce Cathedral ("Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta"); and Porta Napoli, in Viale Università
Because of its rich
Baroque architecture, Lecce is nicknamed "The
Florence of the South".[7] "Lecce stone"—a particular kind of
limestone[8]—is one of the city's main exports, because it is very soft and workable, and thus suitable for sculptures. Lecce is also an important
agricultural centre, chiefly for its
olive oil and
wine production, as well as an industrial centre specializing in
ceramics.
According to legend, a city called Sybar existed at the time of the
Trojan War, founded by the
Messapii. It was conquered by the
Romans in the 3rd century BC, receiving the new name of Lupiae.[10]
Under the emperor
Hadrian (2nd century AD) the city was moved 3 kilometres (2 miles) to the northeast, taking the name of Licea or Litium. Lecce had a theater and an amphitheater and was connected to the Hadrian Port (the current
San Cataldo).
Orontius of Lecce, locally called Sant'Oronzo, is considered to have served as the city's first Christian bishop and is Lecce's patron saint.[11]
After the
Norman conquest in the 11th century, Lecce regained commercial and political importance (count
Tancred of Lecce was the last Norman King of Sicily), flourishing in the subsequent
Hohenstaufen and
Angevine rule. The
County of Lecce was one of the largest and most important fiefs in the
Kingdom of Sicily from 1053 to 1463, when it was annexed directly to the crown. From the 15th century, Lecce was one of the most important cities of southern Italy, and, starting in 1630, it was enriched with precious Baroque monuments. To avert invasion by the Ottomans, a new line of walls and a castle were built by
Charles V (who was also
Holy Roman Emperor), in the first part of the 16th century.
In 1656, a
plague broke out in the city, killing a thousand inhabitants.
Church of the Holy Cross: construction of the Chiesa di Santa Croce) was begun in 1353, but work halted until 1549, and it was completed only by 1695. The church has a richly decorated façade with animals, grotesque figures and vegetables, and a large rose window. Next to the church is the Government Palace, a former convent.
Lecce Cathedral: the church was originally built in 1144, rebuilt in 1230, then totally restored in the 1659–70 by
Giuseppe Zimbalo, who also built the five storey 70-metre (230 ft) high bell tower, with an octagonal
loggia.
San Niccolò and Cataldo: the church is an example of Italo-Norman architecture. It was founded by
Tancred of Sicily in 1180. In 1716 the façade was rebuilt, with the addition of numerous statues, but maintaining the original
Romanesque portal. The walls were frescoed during the 15th-17th centuries.
Santa Irene: this church was commissioned in 1591 by the
Theatines and dedicated to
Saint Irene. The architect was
Francesco Grimaldi). It has a large façade showing different styles in the upper and lower parts. Above the portal stands a statue of Ste Irene (1717) by Mauro Manieri. The interior is on the Latin cross plan and is rather sober. The main altarpiece is a copy of the St
Michael the Archangel by
Guido Reni. The high altar has a Transport of the Holy Ark by
Oronzo Tiso. In the right transept is one of the largest altars in Lecce, dedicated to
Saint Cajetan (1651). Nearby is the
Rococo altar of Saint
Andrew Avellino. Also from the mid-17th century is the Altar of St Orontius by
Francesco Antonio Zimbalo, followed by the altar of Saint Irene with a canvas by
Giuseppe Verrio (1639), nine busts of saints housing relics and a large statue of the saint. The altar of
Saint Stephen has the Stoning of St. Stephen by Verrio.[13]
San Matteo: this church was built in 1667. It has a typical central Italy Baroque style. It has two columns on the façade, only one of which is decorated, though only partially. According to a local legend, the jealous devil killed the sculptor before he could finish the work.
Santa Maria degli Angeli
Santa Chiara: this church was built in 1429–1438, rebuilt in 1687.
San Francesco della Scarpa: known as the "church without façade" as the latter has been demolished in the 19th century restorations. The most ancient section dates likely to the 13th-14th centuries; the interior is on the Greek Cross plan. Notable are several Baroque altars and a large statue of
Saint Joseph.
Other buildings
Column of statue of St Oronzo: (Lecce's patron) was given to Lecce by the city of
Brindisi, because Saint Oronzo was reputed to have cured the plague in Brindisi. The column was one of a pair that marked the end of the
Appian Way, the main road between
Rome and southern Italy.
Torre del Parco ("Park Tower"): is one of the medieval symbols of Lecce. It was erected in 1419 by the then-18 year old
Giovanni Antonio Del Balzo Orsini, prince of Lecce. The tower, standing at more than 23 metres (75 ft), is surrounded by a ditch in which bears (the heraldic symbol of the Orsini del Balzo) were reared. The whole complex was the seat of Orsini's tribunal and of a mint, and after Giovanni Antonio's death, it became a residence for the Spanish viceroys.
Palazzo Sedile: was built in 1592 and was used by the local council until 1852.
Castle of Charles V: built in 1539–49 by Gian Giacomo dell'Acaja. It has a trapezoidal plan with angular bastions. It is attached to the
Politeama Greco Opera House, inaugurated on 15 November 1884.
Triumphal Arch (Arco di Trionfo, commonly called Porta Napoli, "Neapolitan Gate"), which is one of the three gates to enter Lecce's historical city centre, erected in 1548 in honor of Charles V. It replaced an older gate, Porta S. Giusto, which, according to tradition, lay over the tomb of the namesake saint. Also built over pre-existing medieval gates are the current Porta San Biagio ("St. Blaise Gate") and the Porta Rudiae which are the other two gates to Lecce's Historical city centre. Both are in Baroque style, the latter having the statue of St. Oronzo on the top and mythological figures on the sides.
Palazzo dei Celestini: now seat of the Province of Lecce. It was built in 1659–95 and designed by
Giuseppe Zimbalo.
The Roman 2nd century
amphitheatre, situated near Sant'Oronzo Square, was able to seat more than 25,000 people. It is now half-buried because other monuments were built above it over the centuries. The theatre is currently used for different religious and arts events.
The archaeological museum Sigismondo Castromediano.
The archaeological museum Faggiano.
The archaeological park of
Rudiae, three kilometres south-west of the city but within its limits. The place was identified as the former home of the poet
Ennius by
Antonio de Ferraris, a
Renaissance Humanist who was from the region.[14] This was once the more important city until Roman times and has an amphitheatre of its own, a
necropolis and remains of substantial walls. The Porta Rudiae, built on the road leading from this site, is named after it.
Massimo Bray (born 1959), intellectual, academic publisher and politician, former director of the Italian Encyclopaedia of Science, Letters, and Arts (
Enciclopedia Treccani), who served in the government of Italy as Minister of Culture
^L'Italia dialettale (1976).
L'Italia dialettale, Volume 39. Arti Grafiche Pacini Mariotti. p. 250. Dialetto romanzi, in centric he circondano, senza allontanarsene troppo, l'area ellenofona, cioè Melpignano (dove il dialetto griko non è ancor del tutto morto), Vernole, Lecce, S. Cesario di Lecce, Squinzano, San Pietro vernotico, Cellino S. Marco, Manduria, Francavilla Fontana, Maruggio: può essere perciò legittimo pensare ad un'origine grika del verbo in questione, con estensione successiva al dialetti romani. Il neogreco presenta una serie di voci che si prestano semanticamente e foneticamente
^The date given is for the
Roman Republic named city Lupiae; dates for previous inhabitants such as the
Messapians and
Iapyges are lost to history.
^Rohlfs, Gerhard (1964).
"Toponomastica greca nel Salento"(PDF) (in Italian). p. 13. Archived from
the original(PDF) on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017. Ancient Greek name of Lecce according to
Strabo.
^"Lecce: Italy". Lifeinitaly.com. 10 November 2009. Retrieved 26 March 2013.