Roman Amphitheatre

The amphitheater bears witness to the importance that Lecce reached in Roman times. Although there is no certainty about the dating of this work, the most accredited theses attribute it to the will of the emperor Augustus (1st and 2nd century after Christ). Over the centuries the different dominations and natural events have drastically changed the appearance of this part of the city until the Roman structure has completely disappeared. It was only during the construction of the Banca d'Italia headquarters, which took place in the early years of the 20th century, that the first remains of this work came to light. The part visible today is only a third of the original structure, which could accommodate up to 25,000 people, the rest is still buried under the pavement of Piazza Sant'Oronzo.

It is worth mentioning here that the best-preserved Roman amphitheater, surpassing even the Flavian Roman amphitheater in this respect, is the amphitheater located in eastern Tunisia, in El Jem. It is the most spectacular Roman building in North Africa.