I spent Pentecost Holidays (late May of 2023) in Lecce and it was my second visit of this place. Besides Lecce, I did a half-day trip to Nardo, and also did a stop in Ostuni during my return to Bari (I enjoyed direct flights between Prague and Bari!). Together with my 2018 visit of the Salento region (visiting of Lecce and Gallipoli), I could see almost all components mentioned on the worldheritagesite webpages. However, I did a small research and no explicit list of components are provided on official UNESCO pages and anywhere at all, maybe with an exception of Basilica di Santa Croce and Cattedrale di Lecce including Piazza del Duomo, which are absolute highlights of this TWHS. All of us know the trend that true treasures are usually diluted by mediocre components due to dubious purposes. During my internet research, I noticed recent attempts to refresh this almost 20 years old TWHS by the state party of Italy. So, we can expect anything...

About my recent visit: I confirmed my opinion from 2018 that Barocco Leccese deserves the WHS status, and I hope that not only isolated components (churches) but the entire urban landscape of Lecce and together with other places of the Salento region will be inscribed soon (my personal choice would be Lecce together with Nardo, however, S Agata in Gallipoli was fine as well). Visiting of Ostuni was big disappoint for me. I felt there like in hostile tourist trap and I had to escape Ostuni ASAP.

PHOTO: upper row from the left - SS Niccolo e Cataldo (Lecce), Cattedrale (Lecce), Basilica del Rosario (Lecce), S Matteo (Lecce); bottom row from the left - S Chiara (Lecce), Basilica di Santa Croce (Lecce), Beata Vergine della Purita (Nardo), Cattedrale (Nardo).

The entire S Croce is a masterpiece but I liked almost all the facades, interiors settings, and altars in the churches of Lecce and Nardo. As already mentioned, not only churches deserve the WHS status in my opinion, and Barocco Leccese would nicely work as the cultural landscape.

The interiors of the most representative churches in Lecce (Cattedrale, S Croce, S Chiara, S Matteo) are open for tourists during the day (summer: 9am-9pm, winter 9am-6pm). The combined ticket for 9EUR (in 2023) includes also the entrance to the museum of sacred art in Antico Saminario (located on the Piazza del Duomo, but I would recommend to skip the museum and go directly to the cathedral...). The church of S Irene seems to be permanently opened without any fees (the main facade under scaffolding now). Basilica del Rosario is accessible only during the Holy mass (which I attended, and could enjoyed the vast central disposition, which is atypical in comparison to other churches in Lecce). Although I could (and did) visit the churches for the Holy mass, I purchased the ticket as well, because this should support the restoration and reconstruction works in Lecce.

Logistic: Lecce is easily accessible by train (I traveled there from Bari centrale). Other interesting sites are connected with Lecce by local railway.