🌟 Must-Visit Attractions in Lecce, Italy 🌟

1️⃣ Basilica di Santa Croce ⏰ Hours: 9:00-12:30 & 16:00-19:00 💡 Highlight: The crown jewel of Lecce's Baroque architecture, featuring intricate rose windows and ornate facades often called "stone lace." Don't miss the rooftop terrace with panoramic city views! 2️⃣ Lecce Cathedral (Duomo di Lecce) 📍 Location: Piazza del Duomo ✨ Secret: The crypt contains 92 mysteriously carved columns (angels/eagles/florals). Best visited at 4pm when sunlight streams through stained glass. 3️⃣ Roman Amphitheatre (Anfiteatro Romano) 🕰️ Hours: 8:30 until 1 hour before sunset 🎭 Tip: This partially buried 2nd-century relic hosts open-air operas in summer and spectacular light shows at night. 4️⃣ Charles V Castle (Castello Carlo V) 💂 Admission: €8 (includes multimedia guide) ⚔️ Must-see: The "Weeping Madonna" fresco on the walls and prisoner engravings in the dungeon passages. 5️⃣ Piazza Sant'Oronzo 🍨 Experiences: Morning: Sip almond coffee at historic Caffè Alvino Evening: Enjoy tarantella music by street performers near Roman column ruins 6️⃣ Chiesa del Gesù (Paper Church) 📜 Fun Fact: Its interior decorations create an optical illusion of flowing paper, all carved from local Lecce stone. #DeepItaly #BaroqueCity #OffTheBeatenPath #ChurchHopping #SlowSouthernLiving