Bari to Lecce: Private day trip

Likely founded by the ancient Greeks, the city was conquered by the Romans around the 3rd century BC, and remained under the rule of the Eastern Roman Empire until the 11th century. By the 16th century, Lecce had become one of the most important cities of southern Italy, and was enriched with opulent Baroque monuments beginning in 1630. The Piazza Sant'Oronzo depicts nearly the city's entire history, from the ruins of the Amphitheatre, to the 17th century column that was constructed using some of the Roman columns. Representing the Renaissance, the Palazzo del Seggio hosts important art exhibitions, and the nearby Basilica di Santa Croce, with its richly decorated facade, is a masterpiece of masonry, once compared to a lunatic having a nightmare.