(I will get back to olive oil in a minute)
There are times you arrive in a place, and though everything is overwhelmingly new to the senses it just feels right, comfortable. Maybe it’s the warm golden glow of the buildings, maybe the slow relaxed pace of the people I can’t pinpoint why and I don’t need to, it felt like the right place to be.
Lecce is a great city to get lost in. The Centro Historico is large enough to wander endlessly and small enough to get lost without getting lost. Small winding streets that pop out into palazzos and ornate baroque churches, it’s the perfect place to grab a gelato and walk about listening to the singsong of Italian and gazing up. Oh Italy!
Though I love eating out I knew on this trip I would cook for myself as much as possible, not only for budgets sake but I find you get a better sense of locality when you do. For me it is a thrill to navigate a market; the challenge of a language barrier, learning what grows there and what people eat, it is a slice of culture, history and life all in one place. The first thing I do when I visit a new place is locate the daily market and here it is Mercato Porto Rudiae. It is a few centuries old and if you didn’t know it was there you would miss it. Sitting just outside of the old city walls, the entrance almost blocked by local old men chatting and smoking it is small and unassuming.
On the very first day I met who I now call my produce guy, Cesare. He gently reprimanded me for touching most of the produce – that is reserved for the vegetable monger not the customer, we became friends. Everyday I would make my way to the market and practice a little Italian and he would practice a little English. He offered what was local, fresh and foraged and always a nudge at how it should be prepared. I still can’t believe I did not take one photograph of the delicious foods I made, ironically it’s when the food is amazing and I am so enthralled by it that I don’t think to take a picture.
It was popolino season, I will never be able to say that word without an Italian accent it, rolls off the tongue in the most comforting way. I cherish my greens and by goddess Italians know how to do greens. I gorged on them, sautéed with a bit of garlic, salt and a healthy pour of olive oil was all they needed. I bought wild chicories and dandelion and mystery foraged greens I don’t remember the name for. I cooked them simply paired with fresh mozerella and crusty bread. I ate so many vegetables (and cheese, so much cheese). Healthy whole foods are very affordable here compared to home. By my calculations, though not perfect they can give you a good idea, I spent about $1 for every $3-4 I would spend at a farmers market in Seattle. It was less expensive to get fresh, organic local produce at a market or Ape (more on those gems later) than it was for conventional grocery store produce. Disclaimer – I have not done research on this, it is just my experience and it was definitely my experience through most of Italy. I was never far from a daily fresh market that provided a daily walk, social connection and healthy affordable food. Italy has secured itself into my heart.
The churches of Lecce are a stunning and a beautiful example of Baroque architecture and wandering through the many many of them is worth the visit itself. Barocco Leccese Architecture or Boroque Lecce flourished here in the 17th and 18th centuries. There are 20 churches, 2 Basilicas and 1 Duomo in the historical center alone. The local stone used in building here is Lecce Stone, a soft honey hued limestone that is easy to carve and glows in the morning sunrise and evening sunset.
The churches are almost overwhelming to visit and every inch is chiseled with ornate movement; gilded cherubs, sensuous pomegranates bursting open, mythical creatures and exuberant animals – it is drama and tension and grandeur. I could spend hours reveling in every detail.
Lecce is famous for papier-mâché or Cartepest as it is called here. For centuries it has been used to adorn churches and private homes. The movement and expression of these works is brilliant and they come to life in front of you. As you wander through the streets you can see the workshops with bits and pieces of unfinished works hanging from ceilings and walls.
In the few weeks I spent here I fell more in love everyday with its ebbs and flows and my balance was restored from the hectic culture of home. I have this unique opportunity where I am not on vacation per say; I am still working, studying, have deadlines and meetings and laundry and cleaning and shopping – all within a different culture where I get to experience daily routine within a new context. This place affords a vibrant life where the basics; beauty, love, family and health are baked into everyday tasks. I can breathe again, I fit into this life, the rhythms here are natural for me.
