Exploring the Stunning City of Lecce

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This weekend Logan, Louis, and I traveled to a city about 45 minutes from Ugento, Lecce. This city is absolutely breathtaking with a lot of history and excitement around every corner. My favorite part of this trip was that whenever we turned a corner, we discovered something new. We stayed in an Airbnb (our first time ever) and it was in a great place and was beautiful inside. In Italy, they take a siesta, a short afternoon rest, from about 1 to 4 in the afternoon. This is definitely something to get used to because at this time, all shops are closed and the streets are pretty vacant! (Also, most restaurants are closed so make sure you get your lunch before they close!)

 Started our first morning off right with a cappuccino from Quarta' cafe! To order in Italian you say "Voui un cappuccino, por favore."


 The Amphitheatre located in the center of Lecce. This place is absolutely breathtaking! Pictures definitely do not do it justice. These areas were used for entertainment, performances, and sports.


 Delicious Baci Gelato! Gelato is not served too many places in Italy from December to March because of winter. The locals of Italy don't really eat gelato during these times, but there are still some gelaterias open for tourists like us!
Baci is a chocolate made by Perugina in Perugina, Italy, founded in 1907. Baci in Italian means many kisses and this is similar to a Hershey's kiss in the states. It is a chocolate with a hazelnut on top then dipped in chocolate. They are delicious and this gelato tasted just like it!


 This lasagna was made with tomato sauce, meatballs, mozzarella, hard-boiled eggs, bologna, and cheese. Call me crazy for ordering it, but it was amazing! The Chef in this restaurant was the grandmother or Nonna of the family who owned the restaurant. This pasta was definitely made with LOVE!


 Piazza Duomo is also around the center of Lecce. This square is made up of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta (or the Duomo), the Campanile, the Episcopio, and the Palazzo del Seminario. It dates back to the time of the bishop Gerolamo Guidano and can be accessed through the propylaea, which was built in the late 18th century.



 The Castello di Charles V is also a discovery within the city limits of Lecce.


Within Lecce, there are many beautiful churches that we of course had to stop and take a picture of!


This trip was beautiful from the rich history to the food, I highly recommend to anyone in the area! Next weekend we are back here in Ugento planning more trips! Do you have any suggestions?! Right now we have booked Naples and Rome.

With love,
Baylee Mello

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