Piazza Sant'Oronzo is the social heart of Lecce — a sprawling, irregular square where locals gather in the evening for the passeggiata and visitors sit at café tables to absorb the Baroque city around them. The Roman column at one end once stood in Brindisi, marking the terminus of the Appian Way; it was brought to Lecce in the 17th century and topped with a bronze figure of the city's patron saint.
More striking than the column is what lies below the square's surface: the remains of a Roman amphitheatre, excavated in the early 20th century, whose curved walls and tiered seats are visible in a sunken enclosure to one side. The amphitheatre dates from the 2nd century AD and once held 25,000 spectators. Only about a third has been excavated — the rest lies beneath the surrounding streets. Entry to the visible section is free.