American in Lecce - looking for other English speakers

I'm available in the mornings until about 1pm so let me know when suits you next week - I know some nice coffee shops near me but not sure they will be near you - do you know bar Chantilly? Or bar Raffael? Otherwise maybe we could meet in Piazza Sant'Oronzo?
Whatever suits you!
Maria

Hi to all,
Is that English speaking meet still happening on Tues? I'm bursting at the seems for some like-minded social interaction (I'm a well traveled Brit 30yrs removed) do let me know if anything is happening.

Thks
Tony.

I second that. Although I am back across the pond, I look forward to coming back. As a senor female solo English (American) speaker with bad Italian language skills, I have found the "locals" always friendly and welc oming if you attempt in manner and approach to be open and warm...shopkeepers, caffe personnel, etc. I'd take Lecce in a heartbeat over the more distant and money-conscious folks to the north, even though you can easily find English speakers there!

i speak english. not good and not little

Hello Seattle girl, I read your write-up on Lecce and thoroughly enjoyed it! Then I realized how long ago it was written! We just purchased a home in Salento, in the town of Ugento sight unseen and are excited to sign the papers in September (hoping that there still won't be restrictions flying!)

I am taking a chance you might read this. This site has not been helpful if you need daily living suggestions.  Do you still go back and forth to Lecce? This appears to be the closest big city to where we will be living and we so appreciated your description. I am a lover of history and architecture (amateur at that), not to mention food!!  So this is why we chose this region to live (warmer winters too). We are both retired seniors and plan not to get a car as not being citizens, we are only allowed 6 months total a year to stay (divided by 3 months break) . We will be planning to purchase electric bikes to get around as Ugento is 4 miles to the nearest train/bus station to go anywhere.

My question is, will I be able to order on line when in Italy items for our home off of Amazon.it or Alibaba? This might be easiest for us without a car. We look forward to town markets/flea markets where we might find housewares etc. We are one hour by train to Lecce. Any suggestions you have considering your experiences we would so love to hear. P.S. We live in Bellingham and my husband grew up in Ballard. Thank you!

Hello Seattle girl. You can email me at ****. There are a few things that I should share with you. I have only passed by Ugento a few times, so I don't know that much about it. I moved to Specchia, which is almost due east of Ugento and closer to the Adriatic Sea. Specchia is about half the size of Ugento (5,000 people versus 11,000 people), so I assume that the amenities are very similar. Here in Specchia, the nearest train station is about 5 km from the city center. The trains coming down the peninsula originate in Lecce. I checked and it seems like the train station that supports Ugento is about 4 km from the city center and the travel time is about 2 hours from Lecce. There may also be some buses from Lecce, but they will take longer. I have a car and if you are here for 6 months, I would recommend that you consider buying a car over here. We do have Amazon.it but it is not affiliated with grocery stores. I'm sure that Ugento will have markets but I have found that in order to get products similar to what you maybe accustomed to in the US, you will need to go to the bigger supermarkets that are outside of the city centers.

I do travel to Lecce occasionally because it is the biggest city near me. It is an hour drive from Specchia to Lecce. I am trying to buy a home in a town called Marittima, which is about 15 minutes east of Specchia. It is a smaller town but very quaint and close to the Adriatic Sea.

Take care and if you want to reach me, email me at ***. Jay

Thanks so much for the info! My husband and I are retired without a car at least at first so we will need to use Amazon.it for household items and maybe furniture (not groceries). We will not be citizens or have resident visas, so we will only be able to remain in our house for 3 months at a time, go back to the States, and then come back after 3 months for another 3 months (total of 6 months a year). Good luck in your house hunt! You are in a beautiful area too!

-seattlegirl- wrote:

Hello, I'm currently living in Lecce and I'd like to meet other English speakers who are also living in the province of Lecce.  Actually, I am lucky and I meet many people who speak English here, but I'd like to meet more!

My Italian speaking ability is low and perhaps I should put my effort into learning Italian instead of trying to find more English speakers?  I am monolingual and I'm not proud of it.

living in Brindisi , looking to meet people as well

GallipoliGirl wrote:

Hi 'Aussiehere' and all others who are interested!

I started a Facebook page recently called 'Expats living in Lecce'. It's only been going for a week and so far there are 9 of us. I'm going to organise a get-together soon. I'm hoping to start an Italian speaking group amongst us too to improve our Italian.

Hope to meet you soon!

i'm in Brindisi

Hi Denise and Maria,

Looking at your thread, i am inspired  My husband and i are two Canadians who live in Centro Storico Lecce for three months at a time  We bought a home there in November of 2022  Very slowly, we are learning Italian and would love to meet others who speak English.  We will be returning to Lecce in late August to stay for three months and just in time for the Saint Oronzo Festival 

Any chance that your group is still active and looking for two new friends?

Wendy (retired teacher, Ontario, Canada)

Hi Denise and Maria,

Does your group still meet at Piazza Santa Chiara?  I just saw this thread now as I was searching for Canadians and/or English speakers living in Lecce 

My husband and I are both recently retired  We bought our home in Centro Storico Lecce in November of 2022  We are heading back in late August to stay for three months and just in time for the Sant’Oronzo Festival. 

While we are slowly learning Italian and working hard to improve our language skills, it is tough to live there for three months at a time and only have each other to converse in English.

Excited to hear back from you or any other English language speakers living in Lecce.

Ciao for now!

Wendy

@WendyCanadese

Hello and welcome !

Please note that this is an old thread, most of the members are inactive.

I suggest that you open a new thread on the Lecce forum so that active members may reach out to you.

All the best

Bhavna