Below the ground level of the piazza is this restored 2nd-century-AD amphitheatre, discovered in 1901 by construction workers. It was excavated in the 1930s to reveal a perfect horseshoe that actually extends under the rest of the square to originally seat 15,000. A little colonised by weeds, it's nonetheless an impressive centrepiece to Lecce's main communal square. Walking tours available at the nearby tourist office include the history of the amphitheatre.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Cathedral
22.06 MILES
Mosaics, skulls, crypts and biblical-meets-tropical imagery: Otranto's cathedral is like no other in Italy. It was built by the Normans in the 11th…
Basilica di Santa Croce
0.15 MILES
It seems that hallucinating stonemasons have been at work on the basilica. Sheep, dodos, cherubs and beasties writhe across the facade, a swirling…
Piazza del Duomo
0.18 MILES
Piazza del Duomo is a baroque feast, the city's focal point and a sudden open space amid the surrounding enclosed lanes. During times of invasion the…
Museo Archeologico Provinciale Ribezzo
23.2 MILES
This superb museum covers several floors with well-documented exhibits (in English), including some 3000 bronze sculptures and fragments in Hellenistic…
Nearby Lecce attractions
1. Colonna di Sant'Oronzo
0.02 MILES
Two Roman columns once marked the end of the Appian Way in Brindisi. When one of them crumbled in 1582 some of the pieces were rescued and subsequently…
2. Chiesa di Santa Chiara
0.07 MILES
A notable 15th-century church given a baroque makeover between 1687 and 1691, Santa Chiara is one of the most important and admired churches in Lecce…
3. MUST
0.1 MILES
The beautifully restored 15th-century Monastery of Santa Chiara houses this civic museum and gallery, and has a great view of the Roman theatre from the…
4. Chiesa di Sant’Irene
0.12 MILES
Dedicated to Lecce's former patron saint and modelled on Rome's Basilica di Sant'Andrea della Valle, this church was completed in 1639. Inside you'll find…
5. Museo Teatro Romano
0.13 MILES
Exhibiting artefacts revealed during the excavation of the adjacent Roman theatre, this museum also has displays recreating classical Roman life,…
6. Museo Ebraico
0.14 MILES
This fascinating museum outlines the Jewish history of Lecce and the greater Salento region. Entry is by 30-minute guided tour only, running every 45…
7. Castello di Carlo V
0.14 MILES
While the Normans built the original castle in the 12th century, it became associated with the Spanish Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who enlarged it…
8. Chiesa di San Matteo
0.15 MILES
Known by the locals as Santa Maria della Luce, this graceful little church bears the fingerprints of Giuseppe Zimbalo, as much of baroque Lecce does. The…