Lecce Walking Tour with Audio and Written Guide by a Local

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. Porta Rudiae is one of the historic gates of the city of Lecce that allowed access to the city by crossing its defensive walls. The current structure, built in 1703, is a baroque reconstruction realized thanks to Prospero Lubelli.

   10 min

2. In the past, the square was known as the “Courtyard of the Bishop’s Palace,” an area reserved exclusively for the clergy and surrounded by religious buildings that isolated it from the rest of the city.

   15 min

3. The Cathedral of Lecce, also called the Cathedral of Santa Maria dell’Assunta e Sant’Oronzo, is the center of the city’s religious life. The cathedral was rebuilt in 1659 on the ruins of a previous church, which had been demolished because it was no longer adequate to accommodate the growing population of believers.

   40 min

4. The Bell Tower of the Cathedral of Lecce is over 70 meters high and is adorned with balustrades, flower vases, pyramids and other elaborate decorations. Amazing view from the top!

   Passes by

5. The Roman Theatre, one of the most significant testimonies of the ancient imperial city of Lupiae. Built during the first decades of the 1st century AD by order of the emperor Octavian Augustus, the theatre, together with the amphitheatre which I will tell you about later, represented an important entertainment centre for this city of the Roman Empire.

   15 min

6. It was the emperor Octavian Augustus, in the first decades of the 1st century AD, who wanted the construction of this great Amphitheater. Studies suggest a capacity of about 20,000 spectators.

   Passes by

7. Piazza Sant’Oronzo represents the true vital center of the city of Lecce, not only from an artistic point of view, but also symbolic and social. Piazza Sant’Oronzo is located in the heart of what was once the Roman Lupiae.

   15 min

8. The Basilica of Santa Croce is considered the symbol of Lecce Baroque. Its construction began in 1549, on the initiative of the Celestine Fathers, a religious order, after the demolition of the previous temple and convent founded in the second half of the 14th century in the area of the Carlo V Castle.

   Passes by

9. The Charles V Castle is the largest castle in Puglia. Built in the 12th century AD, it was named after the Spanish king Charles V because, in 1539, the emperor ordered the reconstruction of the previous castle, considered unsuitable to defend the city from Turkish incursions in the Mediterranean.

   Passes by

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 75 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Lecce

• Its from-price is 95% below the median of the 315 experiences we list in Lecce.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 37 of 315.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Lecce

Lecce is a Baroque city in Italy's heel, built in honey-coloured limestone and carved with flowers, animals and saints on every façade.

Lecce's soft local limestone could be carved like wood, and the architects of the seventeenth century used it to cover churches and palaces in garlands, cherubs, animals and plants, a style called Leccese Baroque. The Basilica of Santa Croce has the richest façade, and the Piazza del Duomo is a closed square with a campanile. A Roman amphitheatre lies half uncovered in Piazza Sant'Oronzo, and the city is sometimes called the Florence of the South.

Top-ranked sights in Lecce: Lecce Basilica of Santa Croce (Basilica Di Santa Croce), Lecce Roman Amphitheatre (Anfiteatro Romano di Lecce), Porta Napoli.

See all 315 experiences in Lecce