A local’s guide to Lecce, Italy: baroque beauty and rural cuisine

Puglian winemaker Massimiliano Apollonio shares tips on the best cafes, museums, parks and bike rides in his beautiful southern city

Lecce is renowned for its cucina povera – it literally means “poor cuisine”, but refers to the tasty home cooking of rural families who make the most of seasonal, local produce. We are fortunate to have wonderful fresh vegetables – so dining out can be a vegetarian’s paradise – along with seafood direct from the Ionian Sea. For an honest trattoria experience, you can’t beat Alle due Corti, where Signora Rosalba cooks unforgettable dishes such as ciceri e tria’, crunchy fried tagliatelle with chickpeas, polpette di melanzane, fried aubergine balls with mint and basil, a hearty fava bean soup with chicory, and the local favourite, orecchiette con cime di rapa – pasta “ears” with turnip greens and anchovies.