The Roman Amphitheater of Lecce: A Treasure to Awaken
Lecce, nicknamed the “Florence of the South,” is a city that enchants with its dazzling Baroque architecture and the charm of its ancient stones. However, behind its image as the Baroque capital lies an even deeper and older history: that of
Roman heritage. The recent unearthing of a buried portion of the Roman amphitheater, discovered during paving work in Piazza Sant’Oronzo, has brought this hidden gem back into the spotlight, revealing not only fragments of a distant past but also raising questions about the city’s future. This is not merely an archaeological recovery; it is about rediscovering Lecce’s identity, which, along with the archaeological site of Rudiae and other Roman treasures, positions the city as a cultural hub of global significance—a uniqueness comparable only to Rome.
Built between the 1st and 2nd century AD, Lecce’s Roman amphitheater is one of the most significant testimonies of Lupiae’s Roman era, the ancient name of the city. Its construction is believed to have been commissioned by Emperor Augustus as a gesture of gratitude towards a city that welcomed him during the civil wars. This structure, once capable of hosting between 12,000 and 14,000 spectators, was a vital center of public life, featuring hunting spectacles, gladiatorial games, and public ceremonies.
The amphitheater, now visible only in part, is a masterpiece of engineering. Its elliptical structure, carved directly into the Lecce stone bedrock, employed a blend of construction techniques: concrete work, squared stone blocks, and a sophisticated system of stairways to access the various sectors. The outer wall, originally composed of 68 arches, is now visible in only 24 pillars, yet it still conveys the grandeur of the work. Over time, the amphitheater was enriched, likely during the Hadrianic period, with a second-floor colonnade and carved reliefs depicting hunting scenes.
The amphitheater is not an isolated case: Lecce boasts a unique Roman heritage, including two theaters (one recently discovered in Rudiae), two amphitheaters, and two Augustan-era ports. This concentration of historical evidence makes the city a true open-air museum, capable of telling a millennia-old story that deserves to be experienced and fully appreciated.
The recent visit by Mayor Adriana Poli Bortone to Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli marks a pivotal moment for the amphitheater’s future. During the meeting, the ministry confirmed the allocation of funds to continue excavations and
make visible the monument's still-buried portions. Additionally, a technical committee, including experts such as Professor Francesco D’Andria, has been established to plan interventions aimed not just at preservation but at enhancing the entire site.
The ideas for the future are ambitious: innovative musealization plans propose using transparent materials or interactive markers to highlight archaeological traces, integrating them into the modern pavement. Augmented reality technologies could bring the Roman city back to life, overlaying it onto contemporary Lecce and offering visitors an immersive experience that uniquely connects past and present.
Enhancing the amphitheater poses significant challenges. Reopening excavations and expanding the visible area require reorganizing urban spaces, with solutions that minimize impact on the city’s daily life. Among the innovative proposals is a suspended bridge connecting Piazza Sant’Oronzo to Via Giuseppe Verdi, demonstrating how history and modernity can coexist harmoniously.
Discovered in the early 20th century through the studies of Cosimo De Giorgi, the amphitheater has been recognized as a national monument since 1906. Yet its full rediscovery could transform Lecce into a cultural and archaeological epicenter, increasing its international prestige.
An effective enhancement of the amphitheater and other Roman sites could represent a turning point for Lecce’s cultural tourism. Today known for its Baroque heritage, the city could broaden its appeal by emphasizing its Messapian and
Roman roots. New tourist flows, drawn by innovative and diversified experiences, could contribute to a more sustainable economy centered on conscious tourism.
Projects like “Touch to Believe,” which make heritage accessible to the visually impaired through 3D miniatures, demonstrate how culture can be made inclusive, enriching the value of Lecce’s historical legacy.
The rediscovery of Lecce’s Roman amphitheater is not just an opportunity to bring a piece of history to light but a true call to action for the entire community. Lecce has the chance to redefine its identity, embracing its millennia-old roots and going beyond its image as the Baroque capital. As Mayor Poli Bortone stated: “It’s history, beauty. Courage: there’s no other way.”
A future rich in history and innovation awaits Lecce, ready to shine once more on the world stage.
The Lecce Baroque: men and monuments
In a previous article on this blog we have already analyzed the historical origins of the Lecce Baroque, listing some events and circumstances that favored its birth and development, from the Spanish presence in the Kingdom of Naples to the end of the threat brought by the Ottoman Empire up to the Council of Trento and the vast availability of precious stone from Lecce; each of these circumstances had a significant weight in the development of the architecture that redefined the panorama of the city of Lecce from the mid-sixteenth to the eighteenth century, but alongside the favorable circumstances and historical events, the Lecce baroque owes its fortune also to the vision , to the perseverance and commitment of some historical figures of the Salento capital, such as the bishop Luigi Pappacoda or the architects Giuseppe Zimbalo and Giuseppe Cino.
Luigi Pappacoda in June 1639 was called to govern the diocese of Lecce and remained bishop until his death in 1670. He held two diocesan synods in the city in 1647 and 1663 and in 1658 approved the election of the saints Oronzo, Fortunato and Giusto to the patrons of Lecce, restoring the ancient cult. In 1659 he laid the first stone for the construction of the new cathedral and commissioned numerous other works from the architect and sculptor Giuseppe Zimbalo. On his death he was buried in the Cathedral of Lecce, in the sepulcher near the altar of S. Oronzo.
As we have seen, the figure of the bishop Luigi Pappacoda is linked to that of the sculptor and architect Giuseppe Zimbalo, known as "the Zingarello" (the nickname is none other than the Italianization of the dialectal term "Zimbarieddhu" or the little Zimbalo, probably to distinguish it from father Sigismondo, also an artist of the stone) was the most famous and imitated architect of the Lecce Baroque. In the Salento capital the artist created the lower façade of the Celestini Convent, the Cathedral, the column of Sant 'Oronzo and the Church of the Rosario.
As for the architect and sculptor Giuseppe Cino, he worked in the Salento capital from the mid-seventeenth century, continuing the stylistic research of Giuseppe Zimbalo, whose construction of the Palazzo dei Celestini, for example, was completed. Cino was also responsible for the construction of the splendid Church of Santa Chiara, the Church of the Alcantarine and the Church of the Carmine, on which he worked until his death. He also designed the Seminary on commission of Antonio Pignatelli, at the time the new bishop of Lecce.
The Basilica of Santa Croce, together with the adjacent former Celestini Convent, constitutes the highest manifestation of the Lecce Baroque. A monastery had already been built in the 14th century in the area of the current basilica, but it was only after the middle of the 16th century that it was decided to transform the area into an entirely monumental area and to have the necessary space all of them were requisitioned. the properties of the local Jews, expelled from the city in the year 1510. The works for the construction of the basilica lasted for over two centuries and involved the most important Lecce architects of the time. The first phase of construction lasted from 1549 to 1582 and saw the construction of the lower area of the facade, while the dome was completed in 1590. The next phase of the works, starting from 1606, during which the three decorated portals were added to the facade , is marked by the commitment of Francesco Antonio Zimbalo, then Cesare Penna and Giuseppe Zimbalo worked on the final completion of the work.
The history of the Cathedral is very similar: a first cathedral of the Diocese of Lecce was built in 1144 by the bishop Formoso; in 1230, at the behest of the bishop Roberto Voltorico, the cathedral was renovated and rebuilt in Romanesque style. Subsequently, in 1659, the bishop Luigi Pappacoda gave Giuseppe Zimbalo the task of rebuilding the church in the Baroque style. The construction ended in 1670. The bell tower of the Duomo was built between 1661 and 1682, again by Giuseppe Zimbalo; was built to replace the Norman one, wanted by Goffredo d '
Altavilla, which collapsed at the beginning of the seventeenth century, and has a height of 70 meters; from its summit it is possible to admire the Adriatic sea and on particularly clear days also the mountains of Albania.
Also in the Piazza del Duomo is the Palazzo del Seminario built by the architect Giuseppe Cino between 1694 and 1709, commissioned by Bishop Michele Pignatelli. In the atrium you can admire a decorated well, also the work of Cino, while inside the building there is a chapel from 1696. On the first floor of the building we also find the "Diocesan Museum" and the "Innocenziana Library", so called by the name assumed by Pope Innocent XII, who had been bishop of the city. The library contains over ten thousand volumes, including from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
The Church of Santa Chiara is located in the historic center of Lecce, in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II. Its first foundation, wanted by the bishop Tommaso Ammirato, dates back to 1429; it was subsequently almost completely renovated between 1687 and 1691. The construction of the church, which remained without the upper pediment, is also the work of the architect Giuseppe Cino.
The Church of Sant 'Irene dei Teatini is located in the historic center of Lecce and is dedicated to Sant' Irene da Lecce, protector of the city until 1656. It was built starting from 1591 on a project by the Theatine Francesco Grimaldi and was completed in 1639, year of consecration by the bishop of Brindisi. The Church of Sant 'Irene was also at the center of important non-religious historical events: in 1797 it was visited by King Ferdinand IV of Naples, while in October 1860 it hosted the plebiscite operations to decide Lecce's yes to enter the Kingdom of Italy. In 1866 the annexed Convent of the Theatines was suppressed, but the church was still open to worship.
There are obviously many examples of the Lecce Baroque style also in other municipalities of the Salento peninsula, such as the Cathedral of Gallipoli or the Mother Church of Casarano.
The Lecce Baroque: history and origins
Lecce
Whitely gilded
is the sky where
on the ledges they run
sweet-breasted angels,
Saracen warriors and learned donkeys
with rich ruffs.
A fast-paced game
of the soul that is afraid
weather,
multiply figures,
defends itself
from a sky that is too clear.
An air of gold
mild and unhurried
he entertains himself in that kingdom
of useless gears including
the seed of boredom
it unfolds its arrogantly witty flowers
and as for bet
a stone carnival
simulates infinity in a thousand guises.
(from After the Moon, 1956)
Vittorio Bodini was an established Apulian poet and translator, he was born in Bari but spent his childhood in the Salento capital, he translated into Italian several Spanish writers including Federico Garcia Lorca and Miguel de Cervantes. In his poem "Lecce" we find a splendid and exciting description of the Lecce Baroque and we start from here to talk about this architectural style which in two centuries, between 1550 and 1730, changed the face of the city forever and made it the jewel it is today, capable of attracting visitors from all over the world.
Let's start from the words of an established translator of Spanish works for a specific reason, the link between Spain and Italy is not accidental if we talk about the Lecce Baroque, this style is in fact very influenced by the Spanish Plateresque, an artistic style that flourished in Spain. in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, characterized by many ornaments and composed starting from the imitation of silverware works (in Spanish “plata”), from which the name of plateresque derives. A few decades after the Spanish presence in the Kingdom of Naples contributes decisively to the customs clearance of this taste for details and decorations and therefore to the birth of the Lecce Baroque. There are also other historical reasons behind this Baroque spring in the Heel of Italy, such as the outcome of the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, which considerably weakened the armies of the Ottoman Empire, making southern Italy less exposed to raids by pirates and invasions by the enemy. Finally, the Counter-Reformation, or a set of measures of spiritual, theological and liturgical renewal with which the Catholic Church reformed its institutions after the Council of Trent. Following these measures, many churches were re-adapted at an architectural level to be more functional to the new post-Tridentine liturgies, many buildings of medieval construction were "renovated", through embellishments with stuccoes, marbles and various decorations, which made them assume
these look like baroque churches. But the Baroque was particularly lucky in Salento also thanks to the quality of the local stone used: the Lecce stone, which we have already talked about in this blog, or a soft and compact limestone with warm and golden tones suitable for working with the stonemason.
The Lecce Baroque is immediately recognizable even to less experienced spectators, due to its gaudy decorations that characterize the coatings of the buildings: precisely baroque exuberances, floral motifs, human figures and mythological animals, friezes and coats of arms. All this richness of agricultural and floral decorative elements is a metaphor for the "grace of God" and the beauty of creation. Among the most common fruits are the pine cone, a symbol of fertility and abundance, the apple, a symbol of temptation but also of redemption, the pomegranate, a symbol of the Resurrection, the vine, an attribute of Christ.
This new style, which at first only affected sacred and noble buildings, then spread also in civil architecture and therefore its floral motifs, figures, mythological animals, friezes and coats of arms also triumphed on the facades, balconies and on the portals of private buildings.
Until then Lecce had been a fortified city, almost austere, gathered around the severe bulk of the Castle of Charles V, but in less than two centuries it changed considerably, becoming that "... stone carnival, which simulates the infinite ”recounted by Bodini in his beautiful verses. In the next article of this blog we will see to analyze in detail each of the buildings resulting from this admirable architectural revolution.