{"id":9925,"date":"2024-09-25T07:50:40","date_gmt":"2024-09-25T06:50:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/?p=9925"},"modified":"2024-09-25T19:33:24","modified_gmt":"2024-09-25T18:33:24","slug":"day-51-lecce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/09\/25\/day-51-lecce\/","title":{"rendered":"Day 51 – Lecce"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you\u2019ve been following along so far then you\u2019ll know we started today on the outskirts of Brindisi, being woken by the dogs that sent us to sleep last night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have 2449 km on the SatNav to get us home. But today we\u2019re going to be heading away from that route and heading south.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Dimora Risveglio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So after our 6:30 wake-up call and the starting up of the winery after that, we were up, showered and out by 8:30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we left the property I was whatsapp\u2019ing the hosts to say we were off and the room tax was left in the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the property manager told us to wait and then came rushing out to the car park brandishing a free bottle of their wine\u2026 which goes a little way towards offsetting the early wake-up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a big difference between staying the night in a vineyard vs a winery! \ud83e\udd23<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Looking forward to trying the free wine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Our first stop today was Lecce. We thought we\u2019d do the old town, find a local campsite and then move on in the morning. But in the end we decided to push on to Gallipoli, since we\u2019d managed such an early start and wandered the old town so quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But first we needed to get to Lecce and find somewhere to park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And as I think I\u2019ve mentioned before (ad nauseam), these southern Italian roads are sh*t. You can knock along at 60 (100kmh) on the dual carriageways, but in the slow lane that\u2019s about your limit. And on non duals, you can be down to 20mph at points. But we weren\u2019t in a rush, so you\u2019ve just gotta go with the flow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parking in Lecce was a nightmare! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We did loads of research and had looked at loads of possible car parks before we arrived. But the three we selected were all rammed, with many people doing the Italian wait\u2026 I.e. not waiting!.. and shouting or honking their horns at each other. We saw at least 3 car park spaces being \u201cstolen\u201d from the internationally acknowledged standard parking etiquette of \u201cfirst come, first to park\u201d! There were cars weaving in and out of queues, people reversing straight into the flow of traffic\u2026 chaos!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be fair\u2026 when we passed a couple of these car parks later on the way out, there were a few more camper vans in them and perhaps a few spaces. Maybe 9am was just the wrong time to be trying to park \ud83e\udd37\u200d\u2642\ufe0f<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So we headed out of town a bit trying to find a quieter car park. And after a few minutes we found a back street with a parking spot big enough for us and the bikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Lecce on street parking, behind the black car on the left<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I hate parking the car in a place where I don\u2019t know:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • what the parking permissions are and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • don\u2019t know how safe it is. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019d far rather pay an extortionate parking fee for a proper car park than have to worry about the van all day. But needs must, and it was either this space or miss Lecce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We scoured all the road signs in the vicinity of the van, but nothing seemed to indicate we\u2019d be towed if we left the car there for a few hours. And we were parked opposite a school and beside a vets, so hopefully not anywhere where we\u2019d come back to bricks holding the axles off the ground rather than wheels!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You\u2019ve gotta go with the flow!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We\u2019d got to the first car park around Lecce Centre by about 9:10, but hadn\u2019t parked until 10! Grrr!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But anyway, we had about a 20 minute walk into the old town, where we entered through the Napoli Gate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"
    Lecce Napoli Gate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Much of the old town seems to have been originally Roman, but then built upon over the centuries and especially in the 16th century by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. There are a number of fantastic baroque churches from around that time and endless streets to explore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It seems that a number of the significant Roman buildings (amphitheater and theater) were only rediscovered a few years ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Somehow, Lecce doesn\u2019t seem to have succumbed to the endless tourist shops, like say Dubrovnik, but still feels as though people are living there. There\u2019s nowhere near as many cafes as Dubrovnik, Trogir or Corfu Town for instance. However, there are endless tour parties strolling the streets. Each with their tour guide holding an emblem aloft and talking into a radio mic, which is then relayed onto each participant\u2019s ear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here\u2019s some pictures from our 4 hour wander around the town\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"
    Chicken and Salad Breakfast<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"
    Outside Jewish Museum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"
    The square inside the castle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    We didn\u2019t pay the fee to go around the castle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"
    One of the churches \ud83e\udd37\u200d\u2642\ufe0f<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"
    Roman Theatre<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"
    Roman Amphitheater
    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Most of the big historic attractions like the Cathedral and Campanile (bell tower) were ticket only admissions. We bought a \u20ac21 each ticket that got us into all the ticketed places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"
    The Campanile on the left and Cathedral in the middle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"
    Inside the Cathedral<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    The cathedral had an amazingly huge crypt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"
    Selfie from the top of the Campanile<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"
    Front of the Santa Croce Church<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"
    An apostle at the top of a column in the Santa Croce church<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"
    Endless streets and views like this<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    By 1:30 we were done in. The plan of getting to Lecce early, getting a parking spot and getting out before the heat set in had back fired when we realized getting there by 9 for parking just wasn\u2019t early enough\u2026 by a long way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So, we headed back to the van to plan the rest of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It was still relatively early, so we decided not to stop near Lecce but to head to Gallipoli\u2026 south west of Lecce, and not entirely on our way home!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    After another 30km of awful main roads we got to a campsite that had the better of the reviews we could find – Torre Sabea in Calamate, just north of Gallipoli.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"
    Torre Sabea Campsite entrance <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"
    Found a shady spot for Ollie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    The campsite is a little tired, but the loos are clean, even if they don\u2019t have loo seats or toilet paper. There\u2019s a pool that looked really good and a newly reopened restaurant. The site also has four washing machines, \u20ac6 wash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We initially thought we\u2019d use the restaurant this evening, and even enquired about a reservation, only to be told just turn up after 7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But it was early so we decided to see if we could find the Famila supermarket close by. And it was literally 5 minutes walk and a really well stocked supermarket\u2026 somewhere between a Tesco and Waitrose. So we bought some salad and burgers for our traditional meat and salad!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We\u2019ve booked the 9AM shuttle from the campsite to Gallipoli for the morning, so we\u2019ll see what that town has to offer tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here\u2019s our route today\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"
    Day 51 Brindisi to Gallipoli via Lecce<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    And lest we forget, we were 2449km from home at the start of the day. Now we\u2019re at 2521km from home, 72km further away, at end of the day. Something\u2019s not adding up on our attempt at a \u201chomeward leg\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    If you\u2019ve been following along so far then you\u2019ll know we started today on the outskirts of Brindisi, being woken by the dogs that sent us to sleep last night. We have 2449 km on the SatNav to get us home. But today we\u2019re going to be heading away from that route and heading south. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9972,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[53,52],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2024-summer-holiday-to-greece","category-travel"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_7770.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8yl38-2A5","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8995,"url":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/08\/18\/day-14-travel-to-lake-constance\/","url_meta":{"origin":9925,"position":0},"title":"Day 14 – Travel to Lake Constance","author":"John Martin","date":"August 18, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s wet. There\u2019s no getting over it\u2026 it\u2019s wet. We woke up to it having rained since 2 in the morning and the awning had taken on too much water\u2026 it had pooled and looked like it might have broken it\u2026 bugger!. We thought we had enough drainage angle, one\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2024 Summer Holiday to Greece"","block_context":{"text":"2024 Summer Holiday to Greece","link":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/category\/travel\/2024-summer-holiday-to-greece\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/img_20240818_175711_223-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/img_20240818_175711_223-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/img_20240818_175711_223-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/img_20240818_175711_223-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/img_20240818_175711_223-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/img_20240818_175711_223-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9536,"url":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/09\/06\/day-33-dubrovnik-to-barri\/","url_meta":{"origin":9925,"position":1},"title":"Day 33 – Dubrovnik to Barri","author":"John Martin","date":"September 6, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Well it was a good job we packed last night! As we went to bed last night I could see sheet lightning filling the sky to the north of us. And as I watched it for the next few hours it seemed not to be getting any closer. But\u2026 just\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2024 Summer Holiday to Greece"","block_context":{"text":"2024 Summer Holiday to Greece","link":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/category\/travel\/2024-summer-holiday-to-greece\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/746a0970-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/746a0970-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/746a0970-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/746a0970-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/746a0970-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/746a0970-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9922,"url":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/09\/24\/day-50-goodbye-greece-hello-italy\/","url_meta":{"origin":9925,"position":2},"title":"Day 50 – Goodbye Greece, hello Italy","author":"John Martin","date":"September 24, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"We had a 2PM ferry from Igoumenitsa to Brindisi today, so we were afforded another leisurely start. And of course what better way to start than a long chat with Helen and Jeremy. That\u2019s when we found out their van had been flooded in the port they had left the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2024 Summer Holiday to Greece"","block_context":{"text":"2024 Summer Holiday to Greece","link":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/category\/travel\/2024-summer-holiday-to-greece\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_7726.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_7726.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_7726.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_7726.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_7726.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_7726.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9651,"url":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/09\/10\/day-37-igoumenitsa\/","url_meta":{"origin":9925,"position":3},"title":"Day 37 – Igoumenitsa","author":"John Martin","date":"September 10, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Well, we thought it would be a bit of a quiet day today, arriving in Igoumenitsa and setting up camp. But in the end we had a bit of a scramble to avert a disaster. In this next gripping installment of John and Sue do Europe\u2026 Over night, having left\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2024 Summer Holiday to Greece"","block_context":{"text":"2024 Summer Holiday to Greece","link":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/category\/travel\/2024-summer-holiday-to-greece\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_7058.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_7058.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_7058.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_7058.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_7058.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_7058.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9569,"url":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/09\/07\/day-34-bari-to-alberobello\/","url_meta":{"origin":9925,"position":4},"title":"Day 34 – Bari to Alberobello","author":"John Martin","date":"September 7, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Another great day today. A village full of crazy round houses and some retail therapy. The first thing to remark on today though is Sue\u2019s alarm at trying out a bum gun at the B&B last night\u2026 the less said about that the better I think! But back to today\u2026\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2024 Summer Holiday to Greece"","block_context":{"text":"2024 Summer Holiday to Greece","link":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/category\/travel\/2024-summer-holiday-to-greece\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_0917.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_0917.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_0917.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_0917.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_0917.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_0917.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9833,"url":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/09\/20\/day-46-avlaki-beach\/","url_meta":{"origin":9925,"position":5},"title":"Day 46 – Avlaki Beach","author":"John Martin","date":"September 20, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"A bit of a quiet day today. We had a wet morning so hung around the villa until 3. Linda discovered what seems to be the only jigsaw in the property, Friends\u2026 in black and white\u2026 tricky! Friends Jigsaw time Linda and Sue then walked into Avlaki Beach with Phil\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2024 Summer Holiday to Greece"","block_context":{"text":"2024 Summer Holiday to Greece","link":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/category\/travel\/2024-summer-holiday-to-greece\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_7512.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_7512.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_7512.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_7512.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_7512.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/img_7512.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9925"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9925\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10027,"href":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9925\/revisions\/10027"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9972"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/purplemeanie.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}