#17 / Almost like lace

WOW, we’ve come to stop number seventeen on our imaginary journey!  For 8 weeks now #awalkwithMarco has traveled the length and breadth of Italy, from Piedmont to Sicily, passing through famous cities and small villages: destinations chosen, one by one, to take you wandering, in our imagination at least. ;)

Today we’re off to Lecce, down in the south, the heel shape in the “Boot”.  Did you know that Italy is also known by this name?  Well, coming from me…

There is a particular kind of brittle rock here called tufa. It has a very warm color – somewhere between white and straw yellow – and has been used to construct buildings that look like theatrical backdrops. These buildings are examples of the Lecce Baroque, with the Duomo and the beautiful town square being the most famous examples of this style. We walk the length and breadth of the city, gazing up and marveling at what looks less like stonework and more like embroidery.

Another emblem of Lecce Baroque is the Basilica of Santa Croce. Its extremely beautiful facade contains thousands of decorative elements: a large, finely sculpted rose and then small columns, statues, balustrades, friezes… Incredible, it looks almost like lace. 

We continue our lazy walk through the old town, with its succession of shops and stores for us to enjoy an unbridled shopping spree: small, designer jewelry stores, leather craft workshops, exclusive boutiques, small souvenir stores. And then, of course, so many cafés for us to sit outside and enjoy all manner of delicacies. Any of them will do very nicely for us! ;) 

Indeed, you can’t leave Lecce without having tried the famous Pasticciotto, a small puff pastry filled with thick pastry cream that is mousse-like in texture: I recommend to try them straight out of the oven, still warm, they smell amazing. I might just treat myself to one or two…