Lecce - Amphitheatre

A legend tells, that a city called Sybar existed at the time of the Trojan War. It was conquered by the Romans in the 3rd century BC, receiving the new name of Lupiae.

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Lecce was sacked by the Ostrogoth troops of king Totila. In 549 it was taken by Byzantium and remained part of the Eastern Roman Empire for five centuries, interrupted by brief invasions by the Saracens, Longobards, Hungarians and Slavs.

After the Norman conquest in the 11th century, Lecce regained commercial and political importance, flourishing in the subsequent Hohenstaufen and Angevine rule. From the 15th century, Lecce was one of the most important cities of southern Italy, and, starting in 1630, it developed into a centre of Baroque architecture. This was made possible by the soft tuff stone found in the area, perfect for that architecture.

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During the construction of the Bank of Italy building, carried out in the early 20th century the ruins of thee Roman amphitheatre got discovered. It measured approximately 102 m × 83 m and could hold about 25,000 spectators. Today the tourist can find one third of the entire structure, the rest is still hidden in the basement of Piazza Sant'Oronzo.