Apulia - Lecce

After 3 weeks in Sicily we left Catania on a long distance bus to the city of Lecce in the province of Puglia, more commonly called Apulia, the general name of the area that is the heel of Italy. Note to travelers: from Catania to Lecce, the direct bus is preferable to the train which may be many, 3 to 6, segments.

In Lecce we found a friendly B&B, tasty food, and fine Baroque city, perfect for strolling.

Since we arrived late, we did not go out our first night. The second night, we made it a point to go out after dark and enjoy some fast food and the city lights. There were loads of security folks about: Polizia, Carabinieri, and Guardia de Finaza. It was the day of the Brussels terror attacks.

We say goodbye to Mount Etna as seen from the bus window.


Sicily is of course and island; thus the bus rolls onto a ferry to cross the Straits of Messina. This is a shot of our bus waiting to roll onto the ferry.




And then it's 6 more hours until we reach Lecce as we first go along the west coast of the toe and then the east coast of the arch and finally Taranto, then Brindisi, arriving at Lecce about 7:15 pm - 10 hours total.

Vineyard as seen from the bus.


The University of Salento is in Lecce and some of its 18,000 students marched and then danced in support of "NO REFORMO".






Nearby the demonstration, in the city center, is Lecce's Roman Amphitheater.


And the Roman Theater is just around the corner.


But Lecce is most known for its Baroque Churches with their impressive altars.


And facades like the Church of San Croce.






The Duomo in the morning, then at night.






We had some tasty vegetarian food at Zenzero, a small cafeteria across form the university.


And some takeout at Piadina Salentina. The young man with the yellow hat band was charming. ;-)


And a slice, trancio, of pizza at Pizza & Co, the number one rated restaurant in Lecce on TripAdvisor (out of 400+).


We did not join George Clooney for some self-service.