Lecce Epilogue

Eight  reasons to put Lecce at the top of your list of potential destinations if you are thinking about studying Italian in Italy.  By the way it also happens to be a great place for a holiday.

1. The city: Lecce is a beautiful, elegant baroque city steeped in tradition and history. The historical old city is stunning. The baroque architecture, museums and art galleries alone definitely make a visit worthwhile and the people are warm, friendly and welcoming.
2. The region: Lecce is in the Salento region of Puglia and within easy reach of beautiful places to visit. They include the UNESCO listed towns of Alberobello and Matera, the white hill top town of Ostuni, Putignano famed for its Carnevale parades and the picturesque coastal towns of Gallipoli, Otranto and Santa Maria di Leuca.
   
3. The courses: The 10 week course I did was excellent. My teachers were highly skilled and very patient. The maximum class size is 12. Because it was the northern winter the classes were even smaller – lots of individual attention guaranteed. The cost of the courses is very reasonable and the University of Salento is one of only a handful of public universities in Italy offering Italian for Foreigners.
4. The atmosphere: Despite its age and history, Lecce has a very young feel because it is a university city. Of the 95,000 people who live in Lecce, more than 20,000 are university students. It has a vibrant live music scene, with many bars and music venues. It is compact, easy to navigate and safe.
5. The food: The food and wine are superb. Puglia is renowned in Italy for its food and wine and the Salento region of Puglia is no exception. The olive oil and wine in particular are brilliant. The range of delicious local dishes is just too big to do justice to and every town and micro region has their own specialties. It’s all good.
6. The climate: Lecce is in the heel of Italy and has the classic Mediterranean climate with warm to hot dry summers and cool to cold winters with some rain. I was there in the Italian winter. And while much of northern Italy from Rome up was cold, wet or even snowed in, the climate in Lecce was mild and comfortable.
7. The cost: The south of Italy is still much cheaper than the rest of the country and the cost of living in Lecce is much, much lower than in Sienna or Perugia where there are also Italian for Foreigners courses in the public universities. Food and accommodation are very reasonably priced.
8. Explore:  Lecce is the last stop on Italy’s main south-east railway line and all the major city destinations are accessible from Lecce. Nearby Brindisi and Bari have important regional airports that fly to major Italian cities as well as other European destinations. Discount airfares are big and there are many bargains to be had.

Just do it. You won’t regret it.