Lecce & Baroque Salento 2023

Individual arrival in Lecce. Check in at your hotel and day at leisure.

After breakfast, meet your tour guide at the hotel for a 3-hour walking tour to discover the beauties of Lecce. For its artistic and cultural buzz, Lecce is known as “Southern Florence”. Its underlying trait is though the ba­roque style of its buildings. A number of religious and sec­ular monuments will be yours to take in: Maria Santissima Assunta and the Basilica Santa Croce, Palazzo dei Celesti­ni, Piazza Sant’Oronzo and its Roman amphitheatre, as well as the Church of Santa Chiara. You will have free time in the afternoon. Overnight stay in Lecce. (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. Afterwards, meet your driver and head for Otranto, just a 30-minute drive from Lecce. Through many centuries, Otranto was dominated by the Greeks, the Romans and the Turks, and traces of this melting pot of cultures can still be gazed in awe. After lunch at a typical restaurant (drinks not included), a stop is worth in Santa Cesarea Terme and Castro Marina. Afterwards, take your time in Santa Maria di Leuca, a summertime preferred destination famous for its liberty-style residences as well as the iconic lighthouse. Next to the lighthouse is the Sanc­tuary de Finibus Terrae (1720-1755), built to commemorate the passage of St Peter during his travel to Italy. Return to Lecce and overnight stay. (B, L)

After breakfast, you will see Galatina, a fascinating and pagan inland little town. The Basilica di Santa Caterina d’Alessandria houses amazing paintings and mosaics. The Baroque Church of San Pietro and the small Church of San Paolo are on the list of places to see. You will get a clear understanding of the tarantismo as well as the piz­zica and taranta folklore dances. Lunch is at Le Stanzie, a beautiful masseria (large farm). Gallipoli is next, a city of Greek origin. Its urban nucleus, surrounded by medieval walls, is connected to the mainland by a bridge. Gallipoli draws a lot of people during the summer and especial­ly young people for its vibrant nightlife. Return to Lecce for an overnight stay.
(B, L)

After breakfast at your hotel, you will visit Grottaglie, a well-known community of artisans in the Salento region. You will visit ateliers of famous ceramics and attend a real workshop where you will learn how to sculpt clay and paint it during a 2/3-hour practical course. Next is the Crispiano area, known for producing the Primitivo wine. You’ll access a very important and famous vineyard-garden embedded in this once semi-deserted area turned by men into a fertile, productive, oasis-like territory. Lunch and wine tasting. Re­turn to Lecce for overnight. (B, L, T)

After breakfast, the day starts with a visit to Ceglie Mess­apica, located between the Altipiano delle Murge (Murge plateau) and the Upper Salento. From the historical centre of this enchanting town your sight will embrace trulli, farms, lamie (typical dwellings), caves, olive groves, vine­yards, cattle pastures and swathes of arable land. Next, you’ll get to see Martina Franca, an elegant Baroque village full of churches, noble buildings, and squares perfect for a stage setting. The urban focal points Piazza Plebiscito, the Cathedral, the Ducal Palace and the Torre dell’Orologio. This is the famous Valle d’Itria, a rural area full of olive trees and vineyards. Lunch is in a typical trattoria. Return to Lec­ce for overnight. (B, L)

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Brindisi airport or port. (B)