At the end of the 16th century, several religious orders, including the Jesuits and Franciscans, arrived in Lecce. Their influence inspired wealthy patrons to fund the construction of elaborate palaces and churches, marking the onset of the Baroque period. Lecce is an exquisite Baroque city, with its crowning jewel being the Church of the Holy Cross, completed in 1695. Adjacent to the church is the Government Palace, once a convent, while the cathedral stands as one of Italy's most significant, with a striking five-story campanile towering 70 meters above the square.
