Eccelsoleccese

Eccelsoleccese sits on Via A. Diaz 25, a quiet address a short walk south of Lecce's Baroque centre. The property operates without a lift — upper floors are reached by stairs — making it suited to guests who prefer an intimate, characterful setting. It offers a free local cuisine breakfast served until noon, a bar and lounge with room service, dry cleaning and laundry, a terrace, hair salon, and luggage storage. Lecce's golden limestone streetscape unfolds from the doorstep. Piazza del Duomo is a few minutes' walk, its wide open space framed by the 12th-century cathedral, the 68-metre bell tower, and the Palazzo del Seminario. The Basilica di Santa Croce — whose ornate facade rivals any Baroque monument in Italy — stands close by, as does the Castello di Carlo V, the 16th-century fortress overlooking the city from the north. Roman remains surface throughout: the first-century Amphitheatre in Piazza Sant'Oronzo, and the two columns of the Roman street grid near Porta Napoli. The city's papier-mâché artisans, Salentine cuisine, and the sun-drenched hinterland of the Salento peninsula complete the experience.