![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Collage_Lecce.jpg/640px-Collage_Lecce.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Lecce
Comune in Apulia, Italy / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Lecce (/ˈlɛtʃeɪ/[5] Italian: [ˈlettʃe] ⓘ)[pron 1] is a city in southern Italy and former capital of the province of Lecce, with the second-highest population in the Apulia region. It is on the Salentine Peninsula, at the heel of the Italian Peninsula, and is over two thousand years old.
Lecce
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Comune di Lecce | |
![]() Clockwise from top left: Church of Santa Croce; Roman Theatre; the cathedral's bell tower; Lecce Cathedral ("Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta"); and Porta Napoli, in Viale Università | |
Coordinates: 40°21′N 18°10′E | |
Country | Italy |
Region | Apulia |
Province | Lecce (LE) |
Founded | 200s BC[2] |
Government | |
• Mayor | Adriana Poli Bortone |
Area | |
• Total | 238 km2 (92 sq mi) |
Elevation | 49 m (161 ft) |
Population (01-1-2023)[4] | |
• Total | 94,783 |
• Density | 400/km2 (1,000/sq mi) |
Demonym | Leccese |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Postal code | 73100 |
Dialing code | 0832 |
Patron saint | Orontius |
Website | www |
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Puglia_Lecce1_tango7174.jpg/640px-Puglia_Lecce1_tango7174.jpg)
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a6/%22Ber%C3%BChmt_ist_Lecce_f%C3%BCr_seine_Barockbauwerke%22._19.jpg/640px-%22Ber%C3%BChmt_ist_Lecce_f%C3%BCr_seine_Barockbauwerke%22._19.jpg)
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Colonna_di_Sant%27Oronzo_%28Lecce%29_01.jpg/640px-Colonna_di_Sant%27Oronzo_%28Lecce%29_01.jpg)
Because of its rich Baroque architecture, Lecce is nicknamed "The Florence of the South".[7] "Lecce stone"—a particular kind of limestone[8]—is one of the city's main exports, because it is very soft and workable, and thus suitable for sculptures. Lecce is also an important agricultural centre, chiefly for its olive oil and wine production, as well as an industrial centre specializing in ceramics.
Lecce is home to the University of Salento.[9]