When you go to a place, it's good to see it from all points of view, including the historical one. That's why, in this post, I'm writing a brief history of the seaside town of Porto Cesareo in Puglia where we manage dozens of holiday homes. The history of Porto Cesareo begins at the end of the bronze age. The Messapi were followed by the Romans, then came the pirates and then the bandits. The [...]
In the heart of the historic centre of Lecce in Puglia, strolling down its alleys, you may come across some real masterpieces of culture and art. There is a secret place, very big in terms of size albeit invisible, a few steps from the Duomo and from Piazza Sant'Oronzo yet one usually passes by it without seeing it: the Roman Theatre. Why? Because it is hidden amongst the buildings of the Baroque city and to [...]
I like to walk through the streets in the historic centre of Lecce very much. I usually pass there to take a look at houses for rent for the holidays or welcoming structures such as B&Bs and holiday homes belonging to my clients and real estate partners. And I realise always more that strolling through these streets my whole history passes by me. A history deeply rooted long before the Romans (of which a theatre [...]
I travelled around the whole of Italy first for study reasons then for pleasure, then for work. The important and famous cities and the unknown provinces. But one city I still hadn't seen yet: Venice. And that's a big lack! The occasion presented itself while I was returning from the Tourism Fair in Rimini. I took the train early one morning for Ferrara, then another train to Venice Santa Lucia, the station of that city. [...]
Besides its beautiful beaches, Otranto has many other things to offer you: it is definitely one of the most beautiful sea towns of Salento and of Puglia in general. There are many of them, such as Gallipoli, Santa Maria di Leuca, Castro and Porto Cesareo, but Otranto has a different kind of charm. It is a very ancient town, which preserves monuments, roads, rocks and a borderline vibe. I will now tell you the three [...]
The historical centre of Lecce in Puglia is big and beautiful: hundreds of alleys, winding streets which get lost among the Baroque buildings, made in Lecce stone (pietra leccese), with ornate balconies, courtyards full of flowers, and dozens of churches that appear all of a sudden. The most beautiful thing about Lecce, in my opinion, is the pleasure of walking through its centre, stopping in the bars, and always meeting lots of people in the [...]
Lecce's historical character is expressed by its historical center, rich in cultural and architectural marvels of the past. However, if I had to identify the symbol of Lecce's ancient origins, I believe it would be exactly its Roman Amphitheatre in Piazza Sant'Oronzo, the core of the city. Just think that, until the last century, no one knew of its existence. In fact, the amphitheater was discovered during the construction of the building of the Banca [...]
One of the most beautiful places to see in Lecce in Salento, Puglia, is the Basilica of Santa Croce. The first thing that strikes me, before I start to describe it, is the surprise. From Piazza Sant'Oronzo you take Via Templari, you walk for a few metres and all of a sudden, as if by magic, right in front of you, there, in all its magnificence, stands one of the finest examples of Baroque architecture [...]
If there's one time every year when all we Italians drop everything and go on holiday it's the summer. For us 'summer holidays' mean almost without exception going to the sea: sunbathing, lying on the beach, relaxing in the warm water. It's a tradition that goes back generations: heading for the sea for your summer holiday is an absolute 'must'. Some of us use our holiday time to head off to popular foreign destinations like [...]
There are lots of stories about the fountain, and it couldn't be otherwise for a monument in Rome that represents not just the city but Italy to people around the world. Unforgettable film sequences have been filmed at the Trevi fountain and numerous superstitions and legends have formed around it, too. We'll take a look at a few of them here in this post. I realise that this place has been the subject of hundreds [...]
What can I say? It doesn't matter where you're from in the world, when you speak about the Trevi Fountain you get a little feeling of home. Doesn't Fellini's La Dolce Vita mean anything to you? Marcello Mastroianni with Anita Ekberg? I'll be talking about the facts and traditions around the Trevi fountain in another post, but for now let's take one step at a time: where exactly is the fountain? What period does it [...]
If you want to go deep into the knowledge of the Roman Colosseum, here are some information about its architecture. I am going to introduce you to the structure of the Colosseum, the arena, the seats and the cellars. The structure of the amphitheatre is made of blocks of travertine (external walls and load-bearing pillars), bricks and blocks of tufa (radial walls and stairs). The exterior of the building is divided into four levels that [...]