How do you describe Lecce? You can’t, not really, but I’ll try.

Picture it: 6pm in late July. The sun is just beginning to set. It’s been beating down furiously all day, but the heat has finally eased. Not enough to warrant a jacket, but enough that you can wander the cobbled streets of Lecce with ease, wrapped in a warmth that seems to radiate from the stone, from the air, and from within.

You take your time choosing where to go for your aperitivi, eventually settling on a small café overlooking the amphitheatre. Alvino is known for its excellent selection of pastries, cakes, and other delicious things. You sink into one of the outside seats and let the atmosphere wash over you. It’s joyful. Calm. Serene. Like something lifted straight from a film.

Around you, people chat happily to one another or sit alone, soaking in the same golden moment. The waiter arrives and you order your drink, maybe a spritz, and a small plate of food. While you wait, you lean back, careful of the slightly sloping ground beneath your chair.

In the piazza to your right, small children chase each other, their laughter echoing off the stone as their parents watch from a neighbouring café. You breathe in deeply. You’re perfectly calm. The world feels reduced to this gentle bubble of bliss, as you take in the sights, sounds, and scents of this quiet paradise you’ve found yourself in.

It may sound like a travel fantasy, but this exact scene was our reality during the four weeks we spent in Lecce last summer. We didn’t go to Caffè Alvino every night but the feeling was present almost everywhere. There’s something about Lecce. Something baked into its sun-soaked limestone. The people of Puglia are warm, welcoming, and kind. You won’t go far without finding a friendly face.

And the food? It’s almost indescribable.

One of the best aperitivi we had was on the rooftop of the Patria Palace. We ordered a classic spritz and the sharing plate, and it was nothing short of perfect. It didn’t look like much when it arrived, just a small board with six little bowls, but every bite was magic. Octopus sausages, potato croquettes, tuna tartare, ceviche, aromatic cured algae, and a crab raviolo in the most exquisite sauce. Just enough to eat, just enough to marvel over. It’s an aperitivo, not a full dinner, but a promise of good things to come.

We can’t talk about food in Lecce without mentioning one very special place. We’ve lovingly dubbed it Polpette Palace, though its actual name is Caffè Paisiello. The polpette here are the stuff of legend. When we first visited Lecce with our parents, we were only in town for a week, and still ended up eating there three times.

Granted, we went for lunch, but without a doubt, these are the best polpette we’ve ever had. You can order them spicy or not, with or without orecchiette. If you’re in the mood for a heartier plate, go with the pasta. But even on their own, the polpette are spectacular.

Puglia is a place that gets under your skin, not in grand dramatic ways, but in the quiet moments. It stays with you, and honestly, that’s enough.