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Published: September 30th 2022
Greetings from Lecce, Italy!
We had a nice breakfast in Hotel Slavija yesterday morning, with Jim and Lois, who were heading out to the airport later that day, then we walked to the bus depot to get the airport shuttle bus to the Split airport. It was a beautiful warm sunny morning. We passed a Split sign we hadn’t seen before so I hopped in front for a quick photo. The bus left on time and we had a pleasant 45 min or so ride to the airport. We breezed through security and passport control at the airport, and were hoping to find a place for an Aperol spritz before our flight, but it turned out there was just one little kiosk with food and drink after security, so we had a Croatian beer instead.
The flight was over 1/2 hour late leaving (the pilot said there had been a technical problem in Zurich, but it was ok now. I hope so, ha ha!) The flight to Zurich was just fine, we were in the aisle and middle seats but there was lots of leg room. The flight attendants handed out little pretzel buns and chocolates, and we had
Me at the Split sign
With my luggage on the way to the bus stationa coffee. The flight was about 1.5 hours, and we both watched a few episodes of the ”A League of Their Own“ TV series, which we had previously downloaded on our phones. We were late landing in Zurich, but our next flight was also delayed by 1/2 hour or so, so we had lots of time for the connection. The flight from Zurich to Brindisi was about 1 hr 45 minutes, and we watched a few more episodes, and I had a Negroni (they have them premixed in little bottles) and Susan had a Swiss craft beer. There was food for purchase, and they again handed out the little chocolates.
And yes, if you’re wondering why we flew all the way to Switzerland to go from Croatia to Italy, well … this was actually the most time efficient and cost effective way to go from Split to Brindisi. Seems a crazy way to go, I know.
My brother Ross and sister in law Beth picked us up at the Brindisi airport and we were on our way to our apartment in Lecce, where we would be spending five nights. Ross and Beth arrived in Lecce two nights ago.
Split airport
The entry hall is huge We settled in, and enjoyed a welcoming Aperol Spritz. A bit later Ross and I set off on foot to get take away pizza and a bottle of red wine. We had excellent pizza and wine, the last of the almond cookies we bought in Trogir, then were happy to get to bed after a long day.
We had a leisurely morning today, after a good night’s sleep, and had a small breakfast before setting out for the old town (a short walk away). On the way we stopped at a place to get SIM cards, but despite being there for ages and the staff person trying their best, for some reason it would not work. I think they had something wrong with their computers.
Lecce old town reminded us on the old towns in Croatia, lots of narrow streets and similar architecture. Most of the buildings in Lecce were built or renovated in the 17th or 18th C. We wandered around for while, admiring the beautiful buildings, and the Roman amphitheatre, which is a restored 2nd C CE amphitheatre, excavated in the 1930s. We had a cappuccino/pastry stop (the croissant with cream - sort of a custard
- was really delicious). We continued roaming around, checking out numerous churches, and popping into lots of shops (Susan and I both got nice bracelets and I found a very cute one piece pantsuit - I just need to get it hemmed as it is too long).
I wanted to climb the bell tower of the Cathedral, but it is only accessible via an elevator - what fun is that! We bought tickets for a 2 hour walking tour of the old town for tomorrow at 11 am. I’m looking forward to that. The tour includes entry to the Cathedral and the Basilica di Santa Croce. The Cathedral dates back to 1659 and is a reconstruction of Lecce’s original 12th C cathedral. The Basilica is a fine example of Lecce baroque style (
baroco lecesse), and was built between the 16th and 17th C. The patron saint of Lecce is Saint Oronzo, who graces several statues around town. A big statue used to be on the top of the Colonna Romana, which marked the end of the Appian Way from Rome to Brindisi (the column was later gifted from the town of Brindisi to Lecce). The statue is now in
a protected spot close by.
We had a stop for lunch (caprese salad and a local craft beer for me), then continued our wanderings around the old city. We found a tailor on google that was close by (I was hoping to get my new outfit hemmed) but it wasn’t open (lots of shops and restaurants close between around 1 and 5, highly inconvenient for tourists!). It was supposed to open at 4, but it wasn’t open and the opening hours weren’t posted, so we will try again tomorrow. We made our way back to the apartment, stopping first at a different cell phone place where we quickly got SIM cards, and then at a supermarket for a few provisions. We had Aperol Spritzes at our apartment, talked to Mom on the phone, and I began work on the blog.
We headed out about 7:30 to dinner, walking back to the old town, which was lovely all lit up. We checked the menus at several places and found a place we all liked, and had delicious pasta accompanied by house white, followed by amaro (for me) and limoncellos (for Susan and Ross). It was a lovely meal in
a beautiful square in Lecce.
Buono Notte from Lecce!
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Beth Walker
non-member comment
Welcome
Wonderful beginning in an amazing place! 🇮🇹👍