Lecce, Puglia

Explore the Cities and Towns of Puglia

Overview

Lecce is the main city, one could say the capital, of the Salento subpenisular of Apulia. Although part of the larger region, the culture of Italy's heel, has historically been quite distinct from the rest of the region.

Lecce is undoubtedly one of Apulia's most beautiful towns, which thanks to its own brand of Baroque architecture is often known as 'the Florence of the South'. Some 'not-to-miss' examples of this period are the Duomo and the masterfully sculpted Basilica di Santa Croce.

Her roots date back much earlier than this however and there is plenty of evidence of her Roman past. Just wander through the town center and you will see most of a Roman amphitheater, which was only properly excavated in the post-war years. Today it is a delightful venue for summer performances. Close by, the city's patron saint, Sant'Oronzo, stands on top of a column that once signalled the end of the Appian Way, the strategically important road that linked the City of Rome with the port of Brindisi in the south. The column was given to Lecce after Sant'Oronzo is said to have saved Brindisi from a plague in the 17th century.

Despite the architectural wonders, Lecce is a southern city in an area which has little industry. Tourism is important here, but Lecce's somewhat isolated location means that industry has developed slowly and sensitively, keeping in tune with the city's culture. Visitors can expect a warm welcome, but also to find a traditional southern Italian town of good food, locally produced products and lunchtime closing!

Gallery

Location

Private and Small Group Tours

Lecce & Otranto Full Day Tour

Multi-Day Holidays Tours

Puglia Discovery (6 nights/ 7 days ): Mostly All Inclusive Private Tour of Puglia including Polignan...

Magical Matera and Puglia Private Discovery Experience

Hotel

Villas

Apartment

Gallery

Our Private and Small Group Tours

Lecce & Otranto Full Day Tour

Our Multi-Day Holidays Tours

Puglia Discovery (6 nights/ 7 days ): Mostly All Inclusive Private Tour of Puglia including Polignano a Mare, Alberobello, Ostuni, Lecce, Otranto Bari and incredible wine tastings and olive farms

Magical Matera and Puglia Private Discovery Experience

Our Featured Properties

Casa Deva

Villa Bianca

Villa Mimma Puglia

Quick Enquiry Form

Explore Towns and Cities in Puglia

Search Your Tour

Incredible Experiences in Italy for Exceptional Prices

Private Tour of Volterra and Her Incredible Landscapes including San Gimignano

Client Testimonials

We're home now from the most amazing trip to Italy! I can't thank you enough for your efforts and coordination of what was without question the finest vacations I've been on to date. ... [Read More]
- Carol Carson
Jesse & Giuseppe,Sandy and I have been looking through my slides of our trip to Southern Italy. We had such a good time with you and Giuseppe that we wanted to let you know again. You were the best guides ever. ... [Read More]
- Bob & Sandy
I am a travel agent with All About Honeymoons and I would highly recommend Italy Vacation Specialists. Jessica was wonderful in helping us plan in a last minute anniversary vacation during high season without any issues. She even checked on our clients while on vacation to make sure things were going well. I plan on using them again soon for all my future bookings! ... [Read More]
- Tammy Joyce, All About Honeymoons
I have traveled to Italy 2x with the IVS for my own pleasure trips and 2x for business with IVS. These guys really pay attention and make your trip go like clockwork. Italy is nuts, just saying! There are so many rules and restrictions now, so we did not want to drive ourselves. Having traveled with them many times and done business on several occasions, most definitely USE this company. They k ... [Read More]
- JoAnne Beaudoin, Retired Nurse
I went to high school with the owner of the company who organized my honeymoon for myself and my now wife from Tokyo. We spent three short weeks seeing Piedmont and experiencing wine paradise there, then heading to Nice in France with our private driver and flying to Rome where honestly 4 days is NOT enough. They keep saying to spend more time and we could not agree more! You need to spend more ti ... [Read More]
- Robin and Kumi Bruun, Tokyo Japan
In August 2018, my family of four and myself travelled from Vancouver, BC to Rome Italy and spent 3 weeks touring Italy with IVS. This company had come highly recommended by many friends and associates of ours who had used them before and indeed to say they do an outstanding job is an understatement. You can tell while being in Italy that it is one complicated place to run tours in, just by the ... [Read More]
- Vijaya Sunil CPA, CGA
Dear Guiseppe and Jesse, We just returned from our most wonderful vacation to Italy and wanted to first thank you for putting together such a wonderful trip, and second to provide some feedback for the future. Hotels 1. Hotel Sovestro in San Gimignano was wonderful. The staff were very friendly and helpful and made the first portion of our journey very stress free. They made us feel like we wer ... [Read More]
- Ron and Deb Crosby
I traveled with JoAnn West through your services, guided by Giuseppe, in July of this year. What a wonderful experience; your service is really top notch! If I return to Italy for a tour, I will absolutely use your services again and recommend you to my friends! ... [Read More]
- Lucretia Brower
I am a travel agent from Lebanon and have organized several group tours as well as individual tours of Italy with Italy Vacation Specialists. I highly recommend them as one of the very best tour operators in Italy to work with, given their professionalism and work ethic which I feel is second-to-none in the travel industry. All of the staff, the guides, the coaches and even the meals we enjoyed we ... [Read More]
- Nicole Haddad, Lebanese Travel Agent
As a travel agent, but also a traveler to Italy, thee is no other company I would recommend than the Italy Vacation Specialists. Not only do they really care about what they are doing, they also really know Italy and try to educate many people about ways they can best see the country and not fall into tourist traps. I have been on 4 trips with the IVS team, firstly when they did my first 2 tri ... [Read More]
- Laura Chomiak, Travel Agent