Lecce

Those who have a dislike for the Baroque style should either avoid Lecce or invest in an industrial-strength blindfold – the buildings are best described as exuberant.

The flowery style is an architectural fashion which owes much of its popularity to circumstance - the local sandstone is easily carved into intricate patterns which harden with age. The town, right at the south-eastern "heel" of Italy, rewards those who linger a while, with Roman remains among the later churches whose patrons brought lira to Lecce.

True, not all of the buildings are all there – the amphitheatre on the main Piazza Sant' Oronzo has been left especially denuded by the storage of its frescoes in a nearby museum – but it's still a pleasing place to amble around, as those football fans who made the long trek to this most distant of mainland teams will have no doubt found.

It's also a good gateway to Salento, the southerly half of Puglia. Also known as Apulia, it's a region of sunshine and rolling hills yielding fine wine and archaeology aplenty.

Explore Lecce with our interactive map. For a club guide, click the club badge.

For regular updates on the crazy world of Italian football, see our blog Serie Aaaaargh!
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