We stayed in the south for a few nights. Only 30' away was Gallipoli, so we thought we should check…read morethis old town out. And what a great visit it turned out to be. Parked our car not far from the old town and crossed the bridge leading to the Centro Storico. The impressive Castello welcomes you when you enter this amazing historic town. Take the Via Antoniette de Pace or the smaller Via XXIV Maggio and head to the impressive Duomo, the Basilica Concattedrale di Sant'Agata Vergine e Martire. The streets and lanes are quite narrow, so you have to step back a bit to appreciate the beauty of the Duomo. Countless shops and restaurants can be found. It's sure worth to get lost a bit in this maze - especially when you head a bit to the western part of the old town. That's where many locals have their homes. Less tourists, but just fun to wander the small streets. Also nice to walk around this peninsula. Amazing ocean views with the bluest and greenest water you could think of. Some good restaurants with ocean views (try the Trattoria Scoglio delle Sirene). Besides the big sights, the whole old town itself is a sight of its own. We loved it. Fantastic town, sure well worth a (longer) drive.

Not everyday you can walk up to a Roman Amphitheater and just look in. In the heart of old town…read more On the walls below are depictions of warriors fighting bulls, bears, lions, and other warriors. Re-discovered in 1901 in construction for a bank it is in a long term preservation 125 years later. Not lighted at night, it is still a venue for music. Very quiet today.

This nice Theatre is right in the middle of lovely Lecce. It was a quiet day when we visited…read more(Sunday in August). But it was still surprising how few tourists were in town....and almost none a the Amphiteatre. Because it is actually quite a beauty, but not always open for public. There was a stage for concerts, which messed up the view a bit of course. Nice to see the theatre is still used....but on the other hand I'm not sure how good that is, if it is still used regularly. Because the stone surface might wear off a lot faster that way, would be a shame. Lecce is a real beauty, but not so popular yet. Too bad, because the Theatre, the Piazza Del Duomo and the Centro Storico in general are really beautiful. But Southern Italy might be a tad too far for many. But if you're in the area, be sure to make a visit.

Since they do not allow photography in this beautiful space, I included pictures from a guidebook…read more(including the English translation of the promotional material). Some of the tour guides speak some English, but it's not typically spoken in this region. I was very fortunate in that I had a guide who spoke some English as well as a bilingual friend who went with me. It should be noted that although my guide knew some English, the tour was entirely in Italian. You should not allow that to intimidate you if you don't speak Italian, since they have some written info in English and everyone is very nice and friendly. I think I would probably have been able to manage it even if I didn't have my bilingual friend with me.