Thursday April 13, 2023
We leave our apartment around 0805 and start our mile walk to the station. Along the way, we stop at the bakery and grab 2 pastiociotti to have on the train. The single car train is on time which id good as we only have a 5 minute connection in Maglie. I do not want to spend another 2 hours there like on the way here. We arrive in Maglie and get onto the train to Lecce without any problems.
Lecce has been inhabited since the time of Emporer Hadrian and the Roman Empire. After the Romans it was conquered by different empires including the Saracens, Lombards, Slavs and Ostrogoths (who were they?). Arriving at 1020, we find our way to our BNB. It is only a 15-20 minute walk and Donatella greets us when we get there. The room is not ready but we leave our big packs which is all we need. Donatella gives us a map and directions to the old town and out we go.
It is a nice walk to the Porta San Biagio, one of the Gates into the old town dating back to 1774. The town is really nice to walk through and it is not very crowded. The architecture is really beautiful. On the other side of the old town, we go through another gate, Porta Napoli. This is older built in 1548 for a visit by King Charles V. It is modeled on a Roman Triumphal Arch and is made from white Lecce stone. It is topped with the insignias of Charles V and Lecce. The gate marked the starting point of the road to Naples, which is how it got its name. From the gate we pass an obelisk and walk into the monumental Cemetery. We visit the small church of St Nicholas and then walk to around the cemetery. It is similar to the monumental cemetery in Milan with large vaults and chapels housing the former wealthy occupants of Lecce. The style on the mausoleums and chapels is mostly Baroque. Overall, though the place is dead.
Leaving the cemetery we walk back through town and find where we will buy our church tickets for the cathedral and several other churches in Lecce. We are on our way to the train station to meet our friends Dave and Gwen, who started their trip in Rome for the last 5 days. They have a story to tell which I may share later. We stop by the station and get a kebab to tide us over until dinner. Their train arrives mostly on time and lots of people go by, but no Dave or Gwen. Carol starts to worry when they finally show up, one of the last off the train. We make our way back to the BNB and Donatella had given us the keys to both Rooms which are ready when we arrive. They are happy with the choice of accommodations and we settle in before heading out to do some touring.
The first stop is the Lecce Cathedral where we buy our Church ticket and go in to visit. The Cathedral was built in 1144 and rebuilt in the 17th century in a Baroque style.The facade is beautiful and the inside has 12 chapels each dedicated to a different saint. The crypt which was mostly excavated in 2017 is very beautiful and contains bones that were in the ossuary. Right next door is the former bishops palace and seminary which is now a diocesan museum. There are exhibits of religious art, vestments, and a cloister area. We walk to another church I had read about on the edge of old town but unfortunately it is not open, so we head back toward our BNB. We stop along the way to see the remains of the Roman Theatre which dates back to the 2nd century. It once seated 14,000 people on two tiers and was only rediscovered in 1929. On the way back, we stop at a grocery store Carol and I had seen to by some wine. We get wine deprivation as they picked today of all days to close early for inventory check. Luckily, there is a wine store on the next corner so we buy two bottles to share at the BNB. It is a little breezy on the terrace, but we manage to squeeze in to the small enclosed patio outside our room.
The decision is made to have Pizza at the number one rated restaurant on trip advisor called Pizza and Company. The owners are super friendly and they have all kinds of pizza that they sell by the pie or slice, everything to order. We get a half bottle of wine which over the course of waiting for our pizza and eating it turned into 3 half bottles. Carol and I get slices with eggplant, zucchini, artichokes and she gets a spicy coppocolla as well while I also get one with olives, anchovies and capers, all very good. Our walk back to the BNB includes a view of the cathedral at night. My feet hurt a bit as when I look at my odometer, it is our longest mileage day yet at 14.5 miles. I should sleep good tonight. Expenses Pastiociotti from CasAmelia Bakery 4E Train Otranto to Lecce 7.4E Kebab Piadina Lunch 8E Lecce Ecclesiae Church Tickets 18E ATM withdrawal 150E Pizza and Company Pizza and Wine Dinner 25E Don Nino BNB 64.60E (5E Cash Tax) Walked 14.5 Miles
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