As a worldheritage traveller I have seen my fair share of Baroque sites, be it churches, palaces or towns. To be blunt, I wouldn't call myself a fan. As such I was really considering skipping on Lecce while touring through Puglia. Yet another Baroque town? In Italy? ...

As a worldheritage traveller you also know what sites are up for inscription in the foreseeable future. And a fellow traveller had posted a raving review on some site*. So I went. And to be blunt again: I am really happy I did, because Lecce is just this great. The town center is filled with scores of lovely churches and piazzas. And I experienced none of the fatigue I have come to expect from a Baroque town.

Apart from Lecce I also went to Ostuni and Martina Franca. Ostuni is situated on a hill and certainly a nice site. Martina Franca also has a nice old town. But in the end both cities pale in comparison to Lecce. Additional cities mentioned in the application are Nardo, Gallipoli and Galatone.

OUV

You can read up on Barocco Leccese, how the insular location of the Salento as well as shifting rulers created a distinct version of baroque. To me this is simply a special and unique site that deserves inscription, even though it's in Italy and even though I strongly biased against adding more Baroque sites to the list.

Getting There

Martina Franca is a short train ride from Alberobello (WHS). I would do a stop at Locorotondo, a pitoresque village on a hill. From Martina Franca you can continue to Taranto or Lecce.

Ostuni is located along the railway from Lecce to Bari. Be advised that the train station is way outside of town and it's a steep, long climb to reach the city center. They also don't have a sidewalk.

Lecce is a major railway stop for Italian railways. There are trains running along the east coast up to Bari and onwards to Rimini and Northern Italy. There is also a connection via Taranto to Salerno and Naples.