– a forest of stone tendrils, flower and vines –
The day started with a trip to Brindisi Airport where we picked up our friend, Miriam who was going to join us for a few days. It was lovely to see her and we had a brilliant few days together. So nice to have another girl along!
We had decided to take the opportunity to visit Lecce, which was south of the Valle d’Itria – a little further down the heel.
Lecce is known for its Baroque architecture, and here we are talking Baroque on steroids. Baroque was a style from the 17th century which took decoration to excess. In Lecce most of this found its way into religious buildings, each of which seems to be a study in oneupmanship. It was mostly represented in sculptural detail on both the inside and outside of the building. Looking back on my photos I’ve noticed that I actually didn’t take that many. That’s a shame. Probably, because I spent time gas-bagging with Miriam! But Ni managed to take some beautiful black and white shots whilst experimenting with his new phone camera app, so I have him to thank for much of today’s post!
The panels, which were inlaid inside the alcove you can see in the above photo each told an even more detailed story:
And here’s another one of those disturbing statues:
There were some quieter moments:
The town also has a Roman amphitheater which, would you believe it, was only rediscovered in the early 1900’s:
Finally, some shots as we wandered the streets with the usual limestone-clad buildings.
