Lecce hospitality

Lecce sit at the southern tip of Italy's heel, a baroque jewel of a city that improbably supports a Serie A football club. US Lecce, founded in 1908, have spent most of their history yo'yoing between divisions with the rhythm of a Salentine pizzica dance, occasionally springing surprises (a Coppa Italia semi final, a 4'3 win at Inter, several great escapes from relegation) and frequently returning to the lower leagues for a breather. The giallorossi (yellow and reds) are the only top flight club from Puglia in most seasons, which makes them the de facto representatives of the entire south'eastern region, a heavy responsibility willingly carried. The Curva Nord ultras are devoted, vocal and politically left'leaning, with a strong friendship pact with the Macedonian club Vardar Skopje and a long'standing twinning with Torres of Sassari. The fiercest rivalry is with Bari, six hours up the Adriatic by ill'fated provincial train, a derby loaded with regional symbolism even when both clubs were not in the same division. Visiting Lecce is unlike visiting any other Italian football city. You travel a long way to get here, the temperature in late summer can melt tarmac, the city is built entirely in honey'coloured pietra leccese baroque, and the surrounding countryside is olive groves, masserie (fortified farmhouses) and beaches lapped by both the Adriatic and the Ionian. Football here is a serious passion played in a context that feels closer to Greece than to Milan.

The Stadio Via del Mare, formally named after Ettore Giardiniero in recent years, opened in 1966 and was rebuilt for Italia '90. Capacity is just over 31,000, with an open bowl design, an athletics track between stands and pitch, and the distinctive curved roof on one side. The Curva Nord is the spiritual home of the Lecce ultras and generates noise that punches above the club's modest size, particularly under the floodlights of evening kick'offs. The Curva Sud houses away fans, with views compromised slightly by the running track but adequate. Concourses are basic, and queues for the (often warm) Peroni at half time can be long. Pre'match the surrounding car parks fill with tailgate scenes, families grilling bombette (small pork rolls) on portable barbecues. The stadium sits about two kilometres east of the historic centre, in a slightly anonymous suburb on the road towards the coast.

Lecce is often called the Florence of the South, which undersells it. The entire historic centre is built from pietra leccese, a soft local limestone that golden in the evening light and is so workable that it lent itself to the baroque excesses of the seventeenth century. The Basilica di Santa Croce is the showpiece, with a facade so heavily sculpted it looks like a wedding cake. Piazza del Duomo is one of the most theatrically beautiful squares in Italy. Wander Via Vittorio Emanuele II for shops selling pasticciotto (a warm shortcrust pastry with custard, the local breakfast obsession) and rustico leccese (a savoury pastry with mozzarella and tomato). The food is robust Pugliese: orecchiette with cime di rapa, fava bean puree with chicory, fresh seafood from the coast, and Primitivo or Negroamaro wines. The Salento peninsula spreads out beyond, with Otranto, Gallipoli and dozens of beaches within an hour's drive.

Lecce is genuinely far south. Trains from Milan or Rome take seven hours or more even on Frecciarossa; flying to Brindisi airport (40 minutes north by bus or train) is the sensible option. From Brindisi, regional trains to Lecce run hourly. The Via del Mare stadium is about two kilometres east of the centre, walkable in 25 minutes or a short taxi ride. City bus 28 also serves the area on matchdays. Stay in the historic centre, ideally within the old walls; everything you want is within ten minutes' walk. In summer (May to September) book early; Lecce has become a serious tourist destination and prices rise accordingly. Hire a car if you want to explore the Salento; public transport in the deep south is sparse.