The small town of Lecce, way down on the boot of Italy, is called "The Florence of the South" & is unusually homogenous in its architecture. That's because almost all the structures are made from the distinctive local limestone, which is a naturally soft yellow-gold in the sun. The color changes depending on the intensity & directness of light, so at times it looks light beige & almost white at night. It's soft & easy to carve, which encouraged the baroque builders of the time to add fantastical details on every possible surface -- playful, florid, & exuberant to a degree not often seen on or in religious buildings.
The golden glow of Lecce limestone
Lends itself to lots of embellishments
It takes on moodier color tones in the shade
And startlingly light at night
Even in the dark, the sculptural overkill is evident
Interiors are even more laden
Here's a priest hanging out in front of a typical alter
In the 16th century, a dignitary from Rome came to visit & said of the Lecce architectural style "It looks like a madman went insane" (are there madmen who aren't insane?).
They do not hesitate to depict the death of Jesus & other saintly beings in highly explicit fashion
On a less serious note, the carvings are often giddy
A door was open into this unmarked building & no one was about, so I went in
And up the marble staircase
Wow...haven't I seen a hundred costume dramas filmed here??
You'll always meet someone sweet & friendly when wandering the streets
Stopping for lunch in a colorful place
Sometimes simple is best: margarita pizza with a few olives on top & a gin & tonic...yum!
Where behind sumptuous velvet curtains, I found a theater
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