Elegant, spacious, immaculate, decorated with exquisite taste and completely comfortable, the apartment in a former 16th century monastery is about as close to perfect as it gets. It’s located on a quiet small street, but right in the historic center of Lecce, within walking distance of everything. There’s a charming little courtyard for breakfast, coffee or a summer evening aperitivo. The very gracious hostess, Clarissa Rizzo, whose family owns the property, not only welcomed us in person, but brought us a map of Lecce and spent nearly an hour with us marking places on it: restaurants, boutiques, historic sites, shops for the “taralli” cocktail snacks for which Lecce is famous. We tried many of her suggestions, and they were all right on. We had a wonderful stay, and would delightedly go back again, without hesitation.
One thing to note: It’s not clear on the website, but the price given for two guests is for a couple using only one of the two full bedrooms. There is a $25 a night supplement for two guests who use separate bedrooms. That initially surprised us, but in fact the apartment — more like a house really — is well worth that slightly higher price.