21 years of work to build it, 5 balconied levels of decreasing size, reaching a height of 73 metres, including the statue of Sant'Oronzo (Saint Orontius) standing on top of the majolica dome. This is the bell tower of the Duomo of Lecce, a magnificent building, the tallest in the whole Salento area.
A monument within a monument, the bell tower of the Cathedral church, built to overlook one of Italy's most outstanding Baroque squares, is increasingly becoming Lecce's landmark building.
340 years after this masterpiece of Baroque architecture was completed, Lecce's bell tower has now become an outstanding tourist attraction. In fact, a lift has been installed inside the structure that allows visitors to access 43-metre-high balconies, from which they can enjoy a one-of-a-kind, unmissable view.
From the mastery of the great Baroque architect Giuseppe Zimbalo, responsible for the 17th-century reconstruction of Lecce's cathedral complex, to the modern technology that we at ArtWork have installed in conjunction with the Archdiocese of Lecce, the building that was created for operating the bells is now a monument that can be enjoyed by the public. It has a brand-new panoramic viewpoint, equipped with multimedia devices for identifying the city's main points of interest.
From the balustrades of the tower, built exclusively in the characteristic Lecce stone that features in all the iconic buildings of Baroque Salento, visitors can enjoy a spectacular 360-degree panorama that extends over Salento and the Adriatic Sea as far as the Albanian coast, in addition to a unique, breathtaking view of Lecce and the architectural jewel that is Piazza del Duomo.
