This past Monday, my daughter and I drove to Lecce, which surprised us by its size. Why Lecce? I was first interested in the ancient Roman below-ground amphitheater that graces the center of the old city. Unfortunately, when we arrived, we discovered the entire area was under construction and sealed off due to paving work in the Piazza. You can read more about the amphitheater here. So, what did we do? Had a nice lunch of course!
Then for the piece de resistance -the main reason I wanted to visit – to see the Museo Faggiano. This museum was one of the most fascinating I have ever been to. It is a private building owned by the Faggiano family who opened it as a museum in 2008. Luciano Faggiano bought the building in 2001 with the idea of turning it into a restaurant to run with his three sons. When the broke open the floor to repair sewer lines and install a bathroom, they discovered the first of many archaeological finds several feet below the floor.
The Faggiano sons, in particular Marco and Andrea who were in their early twenties, spent the next seven years excavating dirt, chipping plaster off of the walls, and finding evidence of life over 2,000 years old. Now, with the local jurisdiction’s archaeological superintendent supervising their process, they removed over 30 feet of dirt in cosmetic areas, exposing cisterns, underground passages, a granary, and over 5,000 artifacts which of course the government whisked away to storage. (You can however, see shards of pottery and glass objects displayed in the museum.
The tour is self-guided with numbered locations and a hand-out so that you can go at your own pace into the various rooms. You can even climb down metal staircases that they installed so that you can go down into the cisterns or up onto the rooftop. Marco was on hand to answer our questions and we also go to meet Luciano. I wish I had taken a photo of them! Today, the building tells the story of more than 2,000 years of history there, including the habitation of the Knights of Templar, the Romans, and a Convent of Franciscan Nuns. I was mesmerized – at the architecture, the archaeological findings, and the amazing amount of work this family undertook to preserve such an important part of Lecce’s history. I look forward to seeing what they discover in the building next door which is next on their project list. Visit if you eve get the chance.
historicaresearch.com 