Lecce

Known as the Florence of the South for the extraordinary density and quality of its baroque architecture, Lecce is the cultural capital of the Salento Peninsula at the tip of Puglia. The soft local limestone, pietra leccese, carves easily and weathers to a warm golden color, enabling the stonemasons of the 17th century to achieve an extreme elaboration of surface ornament on facades, portals, and campaniles. The Basilica di Santa Croce and the adjacent Celestini Palace form the paramount example of this regional style.