Top Lecce Historical Tours

Lecce is best known for its sumptuous baroque architecture, but the city has an equally rich cuisine worth exploring. Discover both its cultural treasures and gastronomic delights with this tour that combines a guided walk past the Basilica of Santa Croce, the cathedral, and other highlights of the historic center with stops to sample traditional specialties like savory “rustico” and “frisella” pastries, and the sweet custard-filled “pasticciotto”.

The historic center of Lecce is one of the most interesting in Puglia. The particularity of its Baroque architecture derives from the ability of local artists and architects who, between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, have done something unique thanks to the quality of the tender local stone. Our tour will be a journey through time, from the splendor of the Roman Empire to contemporary Lecce. An elegant and refined city where churches and ancient buildings alternate artisan workshops (especially papier-mache), shops and places where you can taste typical products.

Enjoy an up-close experience of Puglia’s picturesque countryside on this languidly paced, full-day bike tour. Meet your guide, set off from Lecce, and continue onwards to Acaya, where you’ll see its historical castle and stop for light refreshments. Then, head to the Adriatic coastline and go for a refreshing swim before visiting Le Cesine Nature Reserve: the region’s last-remaining wetland habitat. Finally, bike back to Lecce along scenic country lanes.

Explore Puglia's gems—including Lecce and Gallipoli—on this full-day tour with wine tastings. See ancient architecture in Lecce and visit Gallipoli's Old Town, built on an island now connected to the mainland by a bridge. Taste wines such as Primitivo, Negromaro, Sussumaniello, Aglianico and Bombino Bianco at several vineyard stops.

You'll have the opportunity to get to know a local tour guide and to walk in his company listening to the history and characteristics of Lecce.

Experience Southern Italy’s Murgia region with this all-day excursion to two of its prettiest towns. After a convenient hotel pickup, travel to the UNESCO-designated town of Grottaglie in a comfortable minivan with a private driver. Admire its ceramics and explore its historic center before heading to Matera, a mountainside city famous for cave dwellings that humans have called home since the Paleolithic period.

The site on which the Jewish Museum of Lecce stands is the fulcrum of the ancient Jewish quarter, as there was the fifteenth-century synagogue. Today its undergrounds are part of a historical itinerary accessible by the visitor. During the visit we observe the tanks used for ritual ablutions (mikwa’ot), the door jamb space in which a mezuzah was housed and the remains of the ecclesiastical building whose perimeter is substantially the same as the pre-existing synagogue. Available languages: Italian, English, French, Spanish.

discovering PUGLIA !! pick up 9,30am directly from your accomodation we will go to some of the most popular destinations in Italy!! LECCE visits the pugliese baroque city! the florence of the southern! transport to GALLIPOLI (on the way stop on beautiful beaches!!! PUGLIA is considered the Carribee of Europe! than visit of Gallipoli (the seacity) twice promenade (3000 years old) seems like "attached" to the sky... and a wonderful turquoise from the sea! Enjoy!!

Lecce is famous for its papier-mâché handicrafts and this behind-the-scenes workshop offers a fascinating insight into the unique art form. Admire landmarks such as Santa Croce Basilica, Porta Napoli, and Saint Oronzo square on a scenic bike ride; get hands on making papier-mâché crafts; then sample an array of local wines and regional specialties.

From Porta Napoli, start this exciting experience with an expert, funny, local guide, that will be there exclusively for you and ready to reply to all your questions. Walking off the beaten paths, discover the most beautiful noble palaces, like Palazzo Adorno and its façade diamond-shaped. Learn histories about the families who lived in the town in past centuries and curious anecdotes about the buildings that you will pass. See the jewels of Baroque architecture like Basilica of Santa Croce and Piazza Sant'Oronzo with the "Sedile" the old city Hall. Let yourself be attracted by the soft atmosphere in Piazza Duomo, the unique closed square with it's baroque jewels: the old Seminary, the bell tower and the church.

Let a guide navigate through the Itria Valley for you on a day trip that departs from Lecce. Sit back and enjoy the sweeping countryside views as you follow your guide to small villages often missed by visitors, including Alberobello and Ostuni. After stopping at local craft markets, historic churches, and the iconic cone-shaped Trulli structures, return to the doorstep of your Lecce accommodation.

Visit the UNESCO-listed hilltown of Otranto without the hassle of coordinating bus and train schedules with this driving tour that includes round-trip transportation. Enjoy free time to explore one of Puglia’s most charming hilltowns and visit highlights like the historic cathedral and Aragon Castle. Relax over lunch (own expense) in one of the town’s traditional restaurants and shop for souvenirs before the return drive.

Explore the lush farmlands and dramatic coastline of the Salento Peninsula by bike on this full-day small-group tour from Otranto. Ponder the ancient ruins of Giurdignano, admire the botanical gardens of Giuggianello, tuck into a typical Puglian lunch, and enjoy swimming or kayaking at Porto Badisco.

Walking tour in one of the beautiful cities of Salento, with a prepared tour guide speaking Italian and English

Independent travelers will enjoy this 3-stop tour in Puglia, which provides transportation from Lecce but allows you to explore on your own. There's no need to rent a car; just sit back and enjoy the scenery on the way to Ostuni, Alberobello, and Polignano a Mare. Explore each town on your own, with some tips from your guide if you wish.

Otranto is the easternmost city of Italy, it is a natural harbor and this has always influenced its history and appearance. From Otranto civilizations have passed, people, stories and goods that have left an indelible mark on its appearance. The cathedral, with its mosaic (1163-1165) represents without a shadow of a doubt a must for every stay in Puglia. The sea of Otranto, then, clear and crystalline even in the port is the setting for a city of unusual and bewitching beauty. On the horizon, on a clear day, the mountains of Albania invite you to travel and discover new places and perhaps even yourself.

Salento bike tour, a 3 days self guided cycling tour of Lecce and its surroundings to discover Puglia and Salento by bike, cycling independently and at your own pace but with our local support. A bike trip of Salento to explore Lecce, Gallipoli and Otranto cycling across olive groves and along the Adriatic coast.

Lecce is famous for its papier-mâché handicrafts and this behind-the-scenes workshop offers a fascinating insight into the unique art form. Admire landmarks such as Santa Croce Basilica, Porta Napoli, and Saint Oronzo square on a rickshaw ride; get hands on making papier-mâché crafts; then sample an array of local wines and regional specialties.

An immersion in the ancient history of Lecce, discovering the Baroque, but also the events that made the city one of the most fascinating in the world.

We will tour the historic center of Lecce for about 2 hours. I will show you not only the most important Roman and Baroque monuments, but we will also discover some hidden corners of the city. I will tell you about its history, its traditions, its food! Lecce will surprise you!

If you love to explore independently, leave Italy’s crazy traffic to the experts and join this full-day door-to-door transport-only tour of some of Puglia’s most scenic towns and villages. Start at the pretty seaside village of Polignano a Mare; continue to Alberobello, a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its extraordinary “trulli” structures; stroll among Locorotondo’s flower-decked balconies; conclude with the “white town”, Ostuni. Tour is capped at just eight travelers.

This private tour will allow you to visit the most attractive places in Puglia and Matera. It includes transfers on board a comfortable minivan with a local driver, guided tours with certified guides, selected hotels in the city center and unique local experiences

Highlights: Discover the Basilica of Santa Caterina, a treasury in the very heart of Galatina Walk in the streets of the historic center, a Jewel of Salento Compact , calm and beautiful  town

Discover the stories of southern Lecce without spending a fortune on guidebooks with this morning tour of the city center. Starting from the iconic Piazza del Duomo, hear the history of this city as told through its buildings. Visit sites from across the ages, from the classical Roman amphitheater to the baroque Basilica di Santa Croce. Don’t get pushed to the back of the group, either: on this small group walking tour, get personalized attention from your guide and answers to all your questions.