The Baroque of Lecce and a little wine

The Florence of the South, is the nickname by which Lecce is known, but this nickname diminishes in our minds the unique beauty of Lecce. It is completely different from Florence in that the vast majority of the buildings are baroque in style. This baroque style creates a completely unique look and feel to the city. The city is also built almost entirely of a particular type of limestone that has come to be known as Lecce stone. Together the common style and material create a city that seems frozen in a moment of time. The Lecce stone was seemingly made for baroque buildings because it is so easy to sculpt. Making it a wonderful tool for portraying stories and symbols on every surface of every building.

Our guide in Lecce, Lorenzo, again through Airbnb Experiences, talked us through the symbolism and stories that the facades of buildings throughout Lecce. While these were mostly churches, we also viewed palaces of Spanish and Italian noble families to understand how their architecture reflected the two distinct cultures in the city. We also learned about how the two cultures built and used their churches differently.

Lorenzo also showed us the Roman remains of Lecce including the theater and amphitheater. Both date to around the period of Hadrian who moved the city. From its original location to one a bit closer to his port.

One of the other highlights of the tour was getting to try a coffee beverage known as Cafe Leccese. It involves layering almond extract under a shot (or two) of espresso and ice. You stir before drinking. It is about the most refreshing drink imaginable on a hot morning. We searched a bottle of the almond extract so that we can make these along the way at our AirBnBs.

In the afternoon we visited Masseria Li Veli. This winery is housed in an old Masseria that was arranged specifically for winemaking. Masserie were originally built as fortified farmhouses during the 16th century. The current structure of Masseria Li Veli was built from the ruins of a medieval structure on the site in the early 20th century. Right now the make their wines on the traditional methods for the region, but they have just received some ver large terra cotta vessels they will begin to experiment with. On our tour we were fortunate to see many parts of the wine making process as the harvest was ongoing and grapes were going through the destemmer. The smell of the grapes was amazing, light and sweet. We also saw the aleatico grapes sun drying that will be made later into Aleatico Passito. We tried their Fiano and Passamante Salice Salentino from their classic line and the Malvasia Nera and Primitivo from their Askos line. All were very good!

Back in Ostuni we had a simple but delicious pizza dinner at Palazzo Mare. We shared a seafood salad for our antipasto that was so fresh and delicious. Sara’s pizza featured mortadella, burratta, and pistachios, and colin’s pizza had mortadella, pepperoni, and sausage.