G8 Finance Ministers' Meeting
Lecce, in the heart of Puglia’s Salento region, has a history that stretches back for millennia, and an imposing artistic and architectural heritage that dates back to the 17th and 18th centuries and has earned the city the nickname of “Queen of Baroque.”
The city’s origins date back to very ancient times, and legend has it that Sibari, the nucleus on which Lecce was built, was founded by the ancient Italic people called the Messapi even before the Trojan War. It was conquered by the Romans in the 3rd century BC and renamed Lupiae. Lecce rose to the height of its splendour in the Roman period, under Emperor Marcus Aurelius. After a brief spell under Greek rule, it was sacked by the Ostrogoths and subsequently annexed to the Byzantine Empire in 549 AD, remaining part of it for five centuries.
The city experienced a second flowering in 1069 under the Normans and was conquered in 1166 by the Swabians, under Frederick II. It joined the Kingdom of Naples in 1493, establishing itself as the Mediterranean’s liveliest, busiest cultural centre. A massive circle of walls and a castle were built over subsequent centuries to defend the city against the constant Turkish raids, and work began on building churches and aristocratic residences.
The Enlightenment exerted its cultural influence over Lecce in the 18th century, and political awareness took root in its townspeople as a result: schools of law and mathematics were founded, and revolts broke out among the populace as well. 1734 saw the start of Bourbon rule, which was to culminate in southern Italy’s annexation to the Kingdom of Italy. The city experienced great expansion after the Unification of Italy, spreading out beyond its 16th-century walls and eventually breaking away from Taranto and Brindisi in 1927 as a province in its own right.
Nowadays, in addition to doing a brisk trade in agricultural produce (olive oil and wine in particular), ceramics and papier-mâché statues and being home to a major university, Lecce is primarily a popular cultural tourism destination. Indeed, it stands out for its own unique interpretation of the Baroque style, which goes by the name of Lecce Baroque, to be seen in all its historic buildings: a particularly ornate style lavish with decoration.
Lecce’s artistic and architectural heritage is so enormous that the city has also been dubbed “the Florence of the South” and “the Pearl of Salento.” The city’s many churches are all of great artistic interest, but the Santa Croce basilica and the Cathedral, which is in the city’s old quarter, flanked by the Bishop’s Palace, the seminary and the belfry and overlooking the striking, central Piazza Duomo, are particularly outstanding.
Charles V’s castle is also in the city centre. It was built between 1539 and 1549 over an earlier Norman building and was radically made over to the brilliant plans of Gian Giacomo dell’Acaya, who introduced new military technologies: ramparts and oblique walls were erected, making it virtually impregnable..
The castle underwent frequent conversion and extension work over the centuries. After the Battle of Lepanto, which put an end to the Ottoman threat, and in the wake of the Catholic Counter-Reformation launched by the Council of Trent, several religious orders moved into Lecce and built their places of worship there. Charles V’s castle, too, underwent several changes that reflected a scenario increasingly marked by religious piety and civic splendour..
The castle saw service as an army recruiting office from 1870 to 1979 before being taken over by the City Council in 1983. After recent restoration work, the building is now an arts centre capable of hosting exhibitions and conferences.
