Nº 1 Getting There
Arriving in Lecce is easy if training direct from Rome. You can book through Trenitalia.it and have your tickets conveniently on mobile. When booking trains, aim to do so about 3 or so weeks out from your scheduled departure. Too early, and you might get stuck with paying standard rates which are higher, too late and you also pay a premium or seats are booked up.
When booking on Trenitalia, there are options for Intercity, Regionale, Frecciarossa, and Frecciargento. The Intercity and Regionale are the slower trains with more stops. When it comes to this kind of distance, I’d recommend spending the extra bit of money for the Frecciargento or Frecciarossa. You’ll get there faster and far more comfortably. Plus, in some cases with Intercity trains, seats are not assigned and you could get stuck standing or shuffling seats through a tightly packed train – not fun for anyone. Freciarossa and Frecciargento also have wifi, power plugs, and often bars for grabbing a morning espresso.
Prices range around €35-€55 per way. I would recommend booking an early morning train leaving Roma Termini around 8am to arrive at 1:30. You’ll get a lot more out of your day and not spend the majority of your time commuting.
You’ll get a lot more out of your day and not spend the majority of your time commuting.
Nº 2 Lodging
Something I love about Lecce is the accommodations. Few other places in Italy offer such great value to be right in the centre of the city, next to ancient landmarks. The majority of places on AirBnB run less than $150 per night, but generally range around $50-$80. Our place was located directly beside Teatro Romano and featured a loft style set up with a living room, smart TV, kitchen, complimentary breakfast, and spa bathroom with a walk-in shower. At only $66 CAD per night, it’s an excellent price. You can view the listing here: Suite Del Teatro Romano. Other places that stood out:
Nº 3 Getting to the Beach
Most beaches near Lecce are easily reachable by bus, however, stops are not always clearly marked. It can be a challenge finding out where to get on and off, so make sure to ask locals when in doubt. Most people we spoke to were very helpful and gave us clear directions.
To arrive at Porto Cesareo from Lecce, we boarded Bus No. 104 in Viale Gallipoli. We purchased tickets at a kiosk next to the stop, prices ranging from €12-€15 depending on distance. (To view the schedule of stops, this link here covers the trip from Lecce to Porto Cesareo to Gallipoli.) The same kiosk offered options for several other beaches along the coastline as well. Most trips ranged from 30-60min. in duration.
If you are nervous of taking public transit for your journey, another option is to purchase tickets online at www.rome2rio.com. Here, you can purchase tickets online and the route is clearly marked out for you in advance.
Nº 4 Food to Try
It goes without saying most of us love cheese. Forget Florence or Rome, Puglia’s creamy Burrata alone could make it a top destination in your next trip to Italy! Whether it be fresh from the grocery store or an appetizer ordered at a candlelit restaurant, you can’t leave the provincia without trying it. If you are more of a carb connoisseur, orecchiette pasta and taralli fit the palette. Orecchiette, meaning little ears in Italian, look the way they sound. Puglia is famous for this funny shaped pasta, especially in Bari where they enjoy orecchiette con cime di rape or broccoli rabe. Taralli, on the other hand, are a sort of ring shaped breadstick. They taste great alone or as a dip and are often sold in different flavours.
You can’t get far in Italian cooking without olive oil or as I like to call it ‘The Nectar of the Gods’. Olive oil is a great gift item to bring back as a souvenir and something to drizzle on everything from pizza to pasta to more pizza! The region produces almost half of the country’s olive oil, so this would be the stop on the trip to buy a bottle…or three. To add another bottle worth picking up, wines Puglia produces that consist exclusively of the region’s grapes are Negroamaro and Primitivo. The Primitivo variety is as the name suggests and boasts a more powerful, hearty flavoured wine. Negroamaro on the other hand is generally what comprises Puglia’s DOC standard wines.
Make sure to ask locals when in doubt
Nº 5 Il Mercato
The best shopping in Lecce is by no surprise found at the quaint shops and pop up markets. This is the place where you will find hand-crafted, once-in-a-lifetime kinds of purchases… and the splurge is worth it. There isn’t really a general rule for when and where these markets arise. The charm really comes when they are stumbled upon.
The one we went to was on Via XX Settembre taking place on the last Sunday of the month. There, I purchased an antique map dating back to the 1800s when routes were mapped out for carriages instead of cars. That is difficult to plan in a trip when you may have only 2 weeks to 2 months to experience an entire country! The best advice in this is to keep your eyes open on Saturdays and Sundays when markets tend to open up. Again, asking locals is really better than any travel review site or blog article. Italy doesn’t often plan things and they don’t communicate when they are happening. Be open minded and just enjoy the exploration.
