Lecce: Down to The Boot

From Tuscany to Lecce

Buon Giorno, It has been only one month on the journey of a lifetime, with so much to tell and so much to show it is hard to keep it brief. As we travel through the diverse mesh that is the context of Italy we find ourselves converging more and more into the culture of the Italians. Two weeks ago we explored the culture of Tuscany and all that it has to offer. The food, wine, art, and of course the Architecture proved itself worthy of any Kodak moment. Last weekend, Stephanie and I made our way down to the boot of Italy on the adventure of a lifetime. With only three days to spare we made sure to engulf ourselves into the scene that is Lecce. Six hours by train ride, Lecce lies along the east coast of Italy. Thus the train runs down the coast line with some of the most beautiful ocean views I have ever seen. Lecce is said to be called the Florence of the South, a title which proves to be true, as it has a very distinct and strong culture different from the places we have been so far. The urban fabric of the city displays itself in a very exciting way, as its 16^th century baroque facades seem to melt away into the sky. Made mostly out of a limestone the architecture is unlike the architecture of the classical renaissance. It is rather ornate and alive with sculptural detailing unlike the architecture of Siena or Florence.

Friday night we made our way out into the city with the bed and breakfast behind us. The town was alive with people walking, talking, and doing something. Lecce is proud of the Architecture, for the buildings become brightly light up using artificial lighting. This method of lighting is something I have yet to see on our stay here in Italy. That night the food was good as we sat down at a winery to relax and get something to eat. We had a taste of the wine in the region called Primitivo, which was very good in comparison to some of the wine in the Marche region and Tuscany. The dinner was amazing except for the coastline Gypsy’s who are very aggressive toward people here. For three hours, different ones would walk up to us and try to persuade us to buy roses or some other gypsy trinket. LOL

The next day was a full day in the life of an Italian as our bed and breakfast was actually an apartment with a full functioning kitchen. We attempted to make some coffee in the morning as we made plans for the day. Once again we stepped out of the apartment and headed for the main piazza where there is a 1^st century Roman amphitheater. While there we noticed people setting up for a concert that was going to take place that night. After, we headed to some other important buildings including The Church of San Giovanni Battista, Santa Chiara, and the Piazza Del Duomo. All of the buildings were wonderful; unfortunately we could not get into them, because they were full functioning buildings, and the public was not allowed in. That night we found ourselves in the main piazza waiting for the concert to start. Wandering past the hundreds of people we saw three guys stretching next to a speaker playing some hip-hop. The three guys eventually started to breakdance, putting on quite an amazing show. After we stood outside the amphitheater and looked down upon the concert. The concert consisted of a bunch of different shows strung together, with an artist painting along to the beat of the music.

All in all Lecce was quite the sight to see, I would recommend it to anybody who is willing to travel down to the boot of Italy. The Architecture is quite amazing as it displays itself very proudly at night and in the day. Ornate and sculpturous, Lecce is unlike anything we have yet to see in classical Italy. The people are wonderful and had a strong sense of the arts as there was an amazing overlay of contemporary arts on top of the baroque city. This meshing of the old with the new is what makes it an interesting place to visit.

-Nick Faller

Oct. 6, 2011