At first, we were a bit overwhelmed at the seemingly large city of Lecce. Within minutes, Valentina was there, assisting us in finding free parking, carrying bags, introducing us to her apartment, and going over maps and other tourist materials. A great concierge, but it didn't end there. Once she were aware that we wanted to eat at home, find some good pizza and gelato, we were off on a walking tour of the beautiful and vibrant city center of Lecce. Valentina introduced us to a great couple who make home-cooked meals at very low prices (fabulous meatballs, sauce, ravioli with grouper, assorted vegetables and even a special bread). Next stop was to give us an intro to the owners of a very nice pizzeria and on to the many gelato shops of Lecce. And, of course, the big public squares. By the time Valentina gave us the keys to her very clean, comfortable, well equipped old world apartment, we were experts on Lecce. Her TV had so many channels, we were able to watch the presidential debate in English (at 3 am). The apartment is literally a 3 minute walk to the most famous historical square. Parking was 5 minutes away, and it easily allowed us to explore, with little traffic, many of the interesting towns of Italy's heel. Lecce is the perfect base for this area, and you will find many, many people, shops and restaurants, active well into the late night. Valentina's apartment, just far enough away from all this activity, was quiet and as perfect as the host. What a great find!