The penultimate post from the summer holidays, the old towns of Lecce and Matera. Lecce has featured in this blog previously and as tradition would have it, here is the espressino freddo, from the Bar Bar Cin Cin.
Yes, Lecce is a beautiful baroque town, that out baroques baroque but it is also home of perfect iced coffees, no two are ever the same.
Lecce is also a gorgeous venue for a wedding with picture perfect architecture as a backdrop. As we strolled around the town several weddings were taking place, the little cornucopia that once held rose petals was evidence, but best of all was the bride, groom and entourage touring the streets in their quadricycles.
We also used this trip to travel further afield to Matera. A town where up until the 1960′s people still lived in the cave houses. These were then bought by the state and it became a UNESCO world heritage site. Gradually the area is being restored and some of the dwellings have now been incorporated into very smart hotels. It is an area that has to be seen to be believed and photos can not do it justice the town clings to the side of a steep-sided gorge and the colours are all muted, natural stone.
There are plenty of ancient towns to visit in the region but Matera which counts as Basilicata and not Puglia is well worth crossing over the border to discover.
