SALENTO is a great plain whose coasts introduce a variety of situations to constitute continuous surprise. It is a land of the Messapi, Norman, Greco and Byzantine. The cliffs that constitute it form the splendid "Lecce's Stone". Lecce is the main town of the Province that rose in the pre-roman age and in the centuries following under several dominations. However it bloomed particularly in Norman time.
From the Angioni and then the Spanish Lecce was transformed into a fortress to defend itself against its enemies. It therefore had great strategic importance. From Roman age it conserves interesting rests of an amphitheatre and theatre, both of the time of Adrian. You will also find the Church of S. Francesco from Paola, and the Arch of triumph erected from the Leccesi in honour of Carl V to the XVI sec. The famous architectural characteristic of the city is baroque. There are many examples of baroque architecture to see: the Dome, Church of S. Croce, S. Nicol and Cataldo, S. Chiara, S. Matteo, and the old Convent of the Celestini. Lecce is often called the "Firenze of the South".
Excursions
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our school excursions.
The Baroque Leccese
The Menhir, the Dolmen, Specchie
The Leccese Baroque
In the middle of the XVII century in Lecce, bishop Luigi Pappacoda emerged as the propulsion behind the famous artistic phenomenon of "Leccese Baroque". The base's architecture appears to the observer in second order of importance to the intricate sculpture of this Leccese stone. Evidence of this superior artwork is concentrated on the facades, the courtyards and the balconies of these incredible buildings. Sculpture of this kind is made possible by the properties of leccese stone which is far easier to work with in comparison to other types rock found in the country.
