Lecce, city, southern Italy, capital of Lecce Province, in Apulia Region. A road and rail hub in an agricultural region, the city has factories producing tobacco products, toys, pottery, glass, furniture, and wine and is known for brassware and wrought-iron work. Lecce is an art center noted for its baroque architecture and has been called the “baroque Florence.” A university is here. The city was originally a Greek colony. Under the Norman and Angevin kings it was semi-independent from 1053 to 1463. As a part of the kingdom of Naples, it flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries. Population (1999 estimate) 98,974.
