Lecce, Puglia, Italy. Friday/Sunday 22/24-May-2026.
We wanted to be in Lecce on the Sunday for Cortili Aperti (Open Courtyard). Rather than drive down to Lecce and back for parkrun on Saturday and then do it all again on Sunday we decided to treat ourselves to a little mini break and halve the drive time. We booked ourselves an economically priced room 15 minutes walk from the old town rather than pay top dollar to be in the centre.
Friday 22-May-2026.
Checked into the apartment then went out for a walk round town, a aperitive on the main street for people watching and a supper at Restaurant Pezzetto.
Saturday 23-May 2026.
Salento 23/05/26 29:26 [12/28]
On Saturday morning we enjoyed an extra hour in bed and a 20 minute drive instead of our usual hour and ten minutes.
One of the visitors was an Australian who was staying in Lecce and had got up horribly early to get a bus to somewhere near parkrun. So we offered him a lift back into town where he could get some much-needed sleep having been out drinking late the night before.
The afternoon was spent wondering about the town including the fascinating Faggiano Museum. A fascinating home-turned-museum, where sewerage excavations led to the chance discovery of previous occupations all the way back to the Messapian culture of the 5th century BC, Roman crypts, medieval walls, Jewish insigna and Knights Templar symbols in the rooftop tower. The house itself dates to the 12th century and was used for a period as a convent.
Mary spotted boards in the Roman amphitheatre indicating that it was either now open to the public or would be soon. Previously it could only be viewed by looking down into it from street level but we saw this too late to investigate but resolved to check it out later.
Then we had an interesting wine and food tasting at La Strada Del Vini. As the nibbles were not too large we were able to squeeze in a light supper later that evening at Tranquillo.
Sunday 24 May 2026.
Sunday was Cortili Aperti in Lecce. A bit like Open House in the UK but in Lecce's case it is their fabulous courtyards that are opened to the public. Hidden behind the huge wooden doors of many of their palazzi (grand houses) are lush gardens, ornamental architecture and evidence of previous epochs, even going back to Messapian times (7th to 3rd centuries BC).
We last visited Cortili Aperti in 2011 and it was a delight to return. We planned a morning timetable taking in some of the most interesting buildings combined with dance, music and theatre performances.
First stop Marcelline Institute of Culture and Languages promising "Scenes from a 19th-century ball, featuring dances and costumes typical of the Romantic bourgeois period." There was a real Jane Austin vibe about the whole event.
Unfortunately our planned itinerary all went awry when the performance in our first stop started more than 30 minutes later than timetabled. But it was worth the wait, especially as, unexpectedly, a friend from parkrun was performing.
Onwards to continue our itinerary. Several of the houses had live music.
Castello Carlo V, one of the most important monuments in Lecce, constructed in the Norman era (10-12 AC) and actively used since, transformed into a barracks late 19th century and now a museum. Suitably imposing fortress with square towers and sharp angles - about as unwelcoming as they could be.
Between 10am and 1pm we saw around a dozen buildings or courtyards, walked about 6km and then we were done.
As there was a break in the programme between 1pm and 4pm, it was time for a lovely lunch and a rest in the Giardini Publici before heading back to the car and Cisternino.
Back home we went for a sundowner at Quirico and were treated to a religious parade for Maria Ausiliatrice (Mary the Helper) down the street. A procession of the devout.
Followed by the Madonna on an electric float then a brass band. Apparently to be followed by a solemn mass.
Finally supper at home. A cracking weekend.
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