Lecce in the rain

Being experienced walkers in the rain we decided that the time had come to get out and explore. Lecce has a tourist map with a two day itinerary whereby you can see the forty eight most important sights. We decided to start the walk at the end of the route which goes nearest to our 'home.' That way we would not have so far to get back when the thunder storms hit.

Having a cappuccino to sustain us on the way, I noticed these signs marking the death of Silvio Berlusconi, former Prime Minister of Italy.

The Church of San Antonio a Fulgenzio caught our attention for three reasons; it was about to rain again, it had amazing lights outside and inside it certainly had the wow factor. It was built in 1900 so a very modern church by Italian standards.

Umbrellas were the fashion item of the day, with plastic ponchos running second.

The Colona Romana and Piazza Sant' Oronzo, this is the ancient heart of the city.

All the buildings in the historic centre of Lecce are made from local sandstone which means the colour is uniform and there is the ability to have extensive carved decoration. Ironwork decoration in balustrades and lights are distinctive, as are the marble roads and footpaths.

There are a huge number of churches and today they were popular. The four main ones require entry tickets, we left that to another day.

Taralli or tarallini and tozzetti were being handed out at a couple of places to encourage shoppers. Being a big fan of taralli we made a couple of purchases. Taralli come in many natural savoury flavours and tozzetti  are sweet.

A small section of a Roman road has been saved in front of a palazzo.

More baroque style, both inside and out. Being sandstone it has weathered poorly and many of the features are lost.

This beautifully designed park honours many of the famous Italians with a connection to Lecce. With fountains, walk ways, lawns and a small play area, I am sure it is a very popular place on summer evenings.

This Greek Orthodox church wasn't open so we had to shelter in a doorway.

Porta Napoli is one of three gates remaining in Lecce. The combination of the Porta, the prickly pear (known as fig of India here) and the flowering oleander would have looked great on a sunny day.

Something is happening at the Duomo, yet to find out what!

After walking almost 7 kms today, mostly in the rain, we returned to our abode and enjoyed some of our purchases. It is fun trying new foods, those in the south are quite different to the central and northern parts of Italy.