The Florence of the South: Lecce

Biggest city in Salento? Lecce. And it's barely on the map the way that Rome, Venice Naples are. This city is full of interesting surprises and has elements of three different time periods, Medevil, Greek and roman. Giuseppe, Sylvia and Vincento took me here to experience the best Lecce has to offer, and since Sylvia and Vincento both got their Art History degrees from the university here I could not have asked for better guides.

It seemed as though every corner hosted a whimsical and ornate baroque or rococo church, which could be true since there are over 60 churches in the city of 90k inhabitants. The city's maze of winding streets in the historical center offered a barrage of more baroque adornments, including gargoyls and  coats of arms, with a touch of arabesque here and there. This truly was an art history dream, and I can only imagine what it would be like to study here. Sylvia and Vincento took us to their university for a look around the roof and study areas. To be honest, I don't know how you could look down for long enough to study in a place like this.

The school used to be a monestary which helped me understand why some of the elements of the building seemed so un scholastic to my American eyes.

This is the view from the roof down into the Italian cemetery that borders the school. I have found this really interesting since I've gotten here that Italians do not get buried in the ground, but instead have their own little Mosoleums by family. The more ornate, the richer the family. One grave in this cemetery is of a famous Italian pop singer, but I didn't recognize the name or take a photo. 

Unfortunately Basilica di Santa Croce was under construction and closed (talk about a raw deal) at the time we were there but I took a photo anyway because the facade is absolutely fantastic. It is covered, literally covered, with figures, vegetables and animals and is an incredible explample of hysterical baroque architecture where the adornment of the facade has gone berserk. The church also features rare caged columns which are pretty wonderful to see in person. 

We took a few hours to walk through the streets...

And I took this photo that I probably shouldn't have but couldn't help myself since the nuns and the church and the sunlight were something I wanted you all to see. Don't worry, I didn't use a flash. 

But of course I had to save the best for last, which was the gelato. Gelateria Natale is hands down the best, and was heaven in a cone. I'll post more about it tomorrow when I have time to do it justice.