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Palazzo Ducale Guarini, formerly known as Palmieri Palace, was built in the XVI century. It has two floors and the upper one can be accessed by a wide staircase.
The history of Lecce is linked to this palace as in 1807 and 1813 it hosted first Giuseppe Bonaparte and, then, Gioacchino Murat who, in memory of the splendid hospitality, “signed” with his diamond ring a mirror on a shelf inside the building.

The facades overlook Via Palmieri and Piazzetta Falconieri, featuring many elaborate balconies like a theatre backdrop.

From the entrance hall, visitors can actually face the evocative courtyard with hanging arches and a most beautiful garden; a staircase carved into the rock connects the garden to an underground corridor which features two carved bas-relief friezes. One frieze depicts a battle between footsoldiers and knights, while the other, on the opposite wall, boasts floral decorations with branches and leaves of bear’s breeches; in the middle, there’s the face of a woman with a headdress, emerging from a plant, while on the sides, there are some stems that cover the remaining space of the frieze.

In the garden of the palace, there is an interesting archaeological relic belonging to the ancient origins of Lecce: an underground structure dating back to the IV century, when the city was inhabited by the Messapi population.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)