Lecce

Lovely Lecce. It's not called the Florence of the South for nothing. Beautiful architecture, bustling with people, open air cafes, piazzas galore, huge trees (abundant mediterranean pine, lemon, and palm trees) and delicious food. 

We are staying at at Airbnb apartment about and eight minute walk from the duomo and the old town. It's pretty spartan, but it has several balconies and three floors, so we have space. Sylvie and I are in twin beds in the top (third) floor, reachable by a tiny spiral staircase. We are staying here for two nights, so we have a full day to walk the town and explore. 

My favorite times on this trip so far are the times when all of our needs are being met. The times when Sylvie and Finley are having fun, Sarah and I are having fun, and we are all happy to be together. It's always a challenge to achieve these things in concert, and it's sweet when it does happen. I'm happy to report that Lecce is providing chances for fun for all of us. 

Our main day in town does not start auspiciously: It takes us forever to find a decent coffee shop to get breakfast and a couple cornetti. The first (recommended) place we try to find no longer exists, and every other place seems to be either crazy busy or have no space at all for us to sit for a bit. Finally we find one, just as Sylvie is melting down about wanting to purchase a stuffed animal we had seen earlier. Since I know that all the stores are going to close down for reposo in about an hour, I trek to the toy store to pick up her only souvenir stuffed animal (a penguin for her, and an owl for Sam). She is delighted by this. After coffee, we visit a park and a playground and we turn things around. 

We find lunch at an open air cafe where Wagon Wheel happens to be playing on the stereo. We eat burrata and drink white wine and rest a bit, before heading back to our apartment for our own reposo. After a rest, we trek out to Corte di Pantolfi for one of the best dinners of the week, and we walk home around 10pm, at which point it feels like the rest of the city is just starting to get rolling.