In Lecce there is also a magical, evocative and secret place: the Roman Theatre, which lives peacefully in the historic center of the city, protected and hidden by the buildings that over the centuries have watched over its auditorium.
The Roman Amphitheater which is located right in Piazza Sant’Oronzo is certainly less famous and more pacifist than its brother, a true star, the much-photographed object of controversy starting from December each year, but it has nothing to envy of it (not even the controversies) .
You don’t get to the Roman Theater by chance: you have to want to go, you have to have that healthy curiosity that drives you to want to get lost in the streets of a city with watchful eyes and an attentive step.
The Roman Theater of Lecce is large, a majestic and powerful monument of which, however, only a part is visible because since the 1st century AD, the period to which its construction dates back, many things have changed and as always happens, history it is buried underground to make room for the present.
Today of the Roman Theater we can admire the suggestive and welcoming cavea, where it is possible to take a seat when concerts and shows are organised, especially in Spring.
Few, to tell the truth, but still better than nothing, still better than when this jewel was known to drug dealers and misfits who, under the cover of darkness, had made it a place where degradation reigned supreme.
More or less 5 thousand spectators could enter the Roman Theater, hungry for life, ready to laugh, be moved or indignant, they certainly had no idea of the wonder they had built, but the people of Lecce today perhaps did, perhaps over time, since 1929, when by pure chance some workers came across a piece of history, something has changed and step by step, despite some errors and a bit of carelessness, we can say that we still deserve this Theatre.
It is certainly no coincidence that today it is the only one in Puglia.
A few numbers are therefore allowed: the auditorium is 75.20 meters in diameter and 6.15 meters wide by 31.80 meters long, the stage which is still visible, on which a wooden platform was once positioned, as demonstrated by the transversal collections.
For those who want to jump straight back into the past, the access road to the theater is Via Arte della Cartapesta or Via Theutra, because we know that in Lecce there is never just one way to get to a place (physically and metaphorically).
Before entering, it is better to stop in what can undoubtedly be considered the antechamber of history: the Roman Theater Museum, in via Degli Ammirati, where it will be possible to admire some artefacts found during the excavations, theatrical masks from Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli and a model that reconstructs Lecce in the Roman imperial age.
A piece of advice: once you have entered the auditorium, after having taken the usual photos and selfies, sit on one of the steps and be silent for at least 5 minutes (if you try hard you can even get to 10, but if you lose track of the time no one will be indignant) enjoying the miracle of the past that extends its hand to the present.
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