Friday, 7 November 2025
Brindisi / Lecce, Italy

This morning the Encore docks in Brindisi, one of the largest cities in the heel of the boot of southern Italy. Will was here a very long time ago when he traveled on an overnight ferry to Athens. Nowadays there are much faster jet boats that cover the distance much more quickly. I have never been to this part of Italy.

But much more interesting than industrial Brindisi is the city of Lecce, known to Italians as the "Florence of the South." While I wouldn't go quite so far in my description, Lecce is indeed a place worth visiting for its abundance of extravagant Baroque architecture. The town center is surrounded by protective walls and traffic is severely limited--although local drivers seem to break this rule all the time.

Today we have an excellent guide, Rosa, who is conversant in the language of architecture and provides clear analysis of the different details we see in each example. The bus drops us outside the wall at the Porta Napoli, constructed in 1548 in honor of Carlos V.

Rosa leads us on a slow walk through the city streets, pointing out important architectural features every few minutes. I have already forgot most of these details--the blog is now four days behind--but I will read about them when we return home. For now photos will have to suffice.

The austere Renaissance facade of the building (above), may be contrasted to the exuberant Baroque facade of the door to a prosperous family's mansion (below).

 

We are allowed inside the Teatro Paisiello, renowned for its stunning neoclassical architecture dating back to the 18th century.

The Lecce Cathedral, with a name as complicated as its Baroque exterior--Cattedrale dedicata a Maria Santissima Assunta (Giuseppe Zimbalo, 1689)--stands over an even earlier crypt, originally used for celebrating the mass. The sense of movement is one of the chief characteristics of Baroque design, emphasized in the upward thrust of the columns and decorations.

The interior shows this exuberant decoration even more.

Wooden Ceiling Panel (left), Papier-Maiche Design (center), Ornate Altar (right)

An even more complex example of the Baroque is the Basilica of Santa Croce, constructed from 1549 to 1695. Started by Francesco Antonio Zimbalo, it was completed in the next generation by Cesare Penna and Giuseppe Zimbalo. It is difficult to get a photo of the complete facade, but these portions show the incredible decoration.

And the decoration inside is even more dramatic:

After all this dizzying decoration we head to a quieter square and a local taverna for drinks and snacks.

It's then time for the bus ride back to Brindisi and the Encore.

Tonight's dinner is perfectly cooked lamb chops for me and penne pasta with cream and tomato sauce for Will. For dessert, we both have individual hot coconut soufflés with pina colada anglaise.