Lecce Playbook: Your Unrivalled Experience in the Florence of the South

Being branded the Florence of the South sets an extremely high bar but Lecce lives up to the billing – history, art, stunning architecture, tremendous food – while remaining one of Italy’s best-kept secrets.

In the 2025-26 season it was also home to Puglia’s only Serie A side and they have been fighting for their lives to keep it that way for most of the campaign.

Here is all you need to if you are heading down to the heel of the boot.

Where To Stay

The same applies to many towns and cities across Italy but the centro storico is your best bet. Lecce is compact and perfectly walkable so staying in the old town will allow you the opportunity to explore its stunning streets on foot.

There are a variety of options in terms of accommodation, from budget-friendly Airbnbs to high-end hotels. Most of Lecce’s old town is pedestrianised so if you are driving it is worth booking a car park in advance. Underground car parks are useful options. 

Where To Eat

Even by Italian standards, the amount of fantastic places in Lecce borders on the ridiculous. And helpfully they are almost all within the centro storico.

Alle Due Corti on Via Leonardo Prato is the place to head to for traditional Salento dishes. It has been run by the same family for decades and is a favourite among locals. The menu is partially written in the local dialect while the pasta is made fresh on the premises every morning.

For something a bit grander book a table at Primo Restaurant on Via Reggimento Fanteria. Primo offers two tasting menus, the seven-course Primo and the even more elaborate 100% Primo, each reflecting Michelin-starred chef Solaika Marrocco’s modern twist applied to Salento staples. The tasting menus cost €150, while a two-course a la carte meal will set you back €80, excluding drinks.

At the opposite end of the spectrum Osteria Da Angiulino and Osteria 203 are all about good, honest food. The former is all red-and-white tablecloths, a carafe of the house red and the feeling of eating in someone’s living room. The latter is a similarly no-frills experience, albeit with a slightly more modern twist.

A bowl of fresh orecchiette will set you back €8 at Osteria Da Angiulino, while mains at Osteria 203 start from €15.

Where To Drink

Lecce is a city with a lively nightlife, and many bars and pubs are within the old town. Mamma Elvira and Jolly Roger are side-by-side on the busy Via Umberto I, facing the Giuseppe Garibaldi gardens, making them the ideal spot for people watching while sipping a beer or a glass of wine. Like most bars in southern Italy with outdoor seating they can be closed in the colder months, so check before you go.

Al Ventuno is a perfect place for an Aperol Spritz or two while the James Joyce pub next door offers a good selection of draught and bottled beers.

Buro, a blues bar on Via Principi di Savoia, caters to music lovers and is as good an option as any for a post-match drink as it opens at 6:30pm. For something more upmarket head to the Saloon Keeper in Piazzetta Chiesa Greca. This New York-style speakeasy harks back to the prohibition era but with very modern prices – €10 for an Old Fashioned.

Options around the Stadio Via del Mare are limited but you can get a takeaway pint and sandwich from a truck outside the ground. It’s part of the experience after all.

Don’t Forget

Tickets – Lecce tickets are available on the club website and at authorised Vivaticket selling points in the city.

In Serie A, tickets started at €19 for adults and €9 for under-14s and over 70s in the Curva Nord, the Curva Sud and the Distinti sector. If you are picking up tickets at the stadium or at the ticket office, remember to have your ID with you and leave a bit of time as collection offices can get busy.

Kick-off times will be moved for television, so bear that in mind when arranging a trip far in advance.

Merchandise – Official Lecce merchandise can be purchased on the club website or at the store on Via Salvatore Trinchese 10, right in the middle of the old town.

Did You Know?

Pele played at the Stadio Via del Mare when Santos faced Lecce in a friendly in 1967.

Getting There

Nestled on the heel of Italy, Lecce is easy enough to get to when flying into Brindisi Airport, which is about a a 45-minute drive. Flights are scaled back outside of summer, so flying into Bari may be the best option depending on the time of year. The train from there can take 80 minutes to a couple of hours depending on the service.

Need Another Football Fix?

As well Bari, fourth-tier Fidelis Andria is within a couple of hours while Taranto, once a staple of Serie B and C, are now down in the fifth level of the pyramid and about an hour away.