Remember the musical, “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”? Well, a funny thing happened on our way to Lecce…we both got sick. And unfortunately not just the sniffles – full out wheezing, hacking, loads of snot, chest colds. (We were probably the least desirable people to be next to on the train.)
Our original plans of taking a few day trips from Lecce and touring basically from day to night immediately got thrown out the window. In fact, on our first full day in Lecce, we only left our apartment for lunch, we went through 3 boxes of Kleenex and had noses as red as Rudolph.
The lucky part in all of this sick mess was that we had plenty of space to relax and get comfortable, because we were staying in an apartment (with hotel amenities) at Casa dei Mercanti, right in the heart of Lecce.
While we originally had no plans of using our kitchenette, suddenly being able to boil water for steam facials became essential; as well as for preparing endless salt water gargles and cups of tea. (The salt water works wonders on a sore throat.)
We also lucked out with the breakfast service. You don’t eat breakfast in a common space, it is delivered to your apartment every morning. So when we were ready, we just rung our host, and our breakfast was delivered right to our door. Breakfast in bed never came at such a crucial time.
staying snuggled up in bed
Plus, let’s be honest, there could be far worse places to get sick in than Lecce. Lecce is a beautiful town. I think that we were both under the impression that nothing could be cuter than Castelrotto, but we were wrong. In different ways, well actually in a lot of ways, Lecce is quite perfect.
The historic center is a weave of large stone streets, historic buildings, and what feels like a church on every corner. Little restaurants and wine bars are at almost every turn, and there are still real street artists and musicians. Nope, no one selling factory made prints down here, only artists working on their craft.
It feels like we got to see a part of Italy that has been lost in the bigger cities – the part that became overrun by tourism (ourselves guilty). Things move a bit slower down here. People talk a bit softer. The prices are far cheaper. And life in general seems to move at its own gentle pace.
fun finds at an antique market that we stumbled across
The only thing that I can find to complain about is that I have been really horrible about taking photos (not on purpose of course). I’d like to solely blame this on the sickness, but perhaps some of the Leccese simpler life is rubbing off on me. In fact, I think that I could get used to this quieter life. Iced almond milk espresso, cream filled pastries, and daily siestas – yep, I think that Lecce and I could get along just fine.
It really was the perfect place to recover from sickness! Nothing fights off an illness like a freshly baked pasticciotto in the morning and a bowl of handmade pasta in the afternoon!