Cartapesta Riso

Lecce


Lecce is famous for its papier-mâché figures, known as cartapesta. It's hard to believe these detailed artworks are made of paper: once the straw skeleton is overlaid with paper, shaped, coloured and burnt with special tools, they look for all the world like carved wood. Claudio is a master: buy handcrafted figurines (perhaps Pope John Paul II?) in his workshop.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Lecce attractions

1. Chiesa di Sant’Irene

0.03 MILES

Dedicated to Lecce's former patron saint and modelled on Rome's Basilica di Sant'Andrea della Valle, this church was completed in 1639. Inside you'll find…

2. Piazza del Duomo

0.06 MILES

Piazza del Duomo is a baroque feast, the city's focal point and a sudden open space amid the surrounding enclosed lanes. During times of invasion the…

3. Museo Teatro Romano

0.06 MILES

Exhibiting artefacts revealed during the excavation of the adjacent Roman theatre, this museum also has displays recreating classical Roman life,…

4. Cathedral

0.06 MILES

Giuseppe Zimbalo's 1659 reconstruction of Lecce's original 12th-century cathedral is recognised as being among his finest work. Zimbalo, Lecce's famous…

5. MUST

0.07 MILES

The beautifully restored 15th-century Monastery of Santa Chiara houses this civic museum and gallery, and has a great view of the Roman theatre from the…

6. Museo Diocesano d'Arte Sacra

0.08 MILES

This 18th-century seminary, designed by famous Leccese architect and sculptor Giuseppe Cino, today houses a library of old books and a museum dedicated to…

7. Palazzo Vescovile

0.08 MILES

Facing Lecce's cathedral is the arched arcade loggia of the 15th-century Palazzo Vescovile, one-time residence of Neapolitan royalty and one of Lecce's…

8. Chiesa di Santa Chiara

0.09 MILES

A notable 15th-century church given a baroque makeover between 1687 and 1691, Santa Chiara is one of the most important and admired churches in Lecce…