Museo Faggiano — The Accidental Underground Museum
In 2000, Luciano Faggiano tried to fix a leaking sewage pipe beneath his townhouse on Via Ascanio Grandi and accidentally excavated 2,000 years of Lecce's history. What he found — Messapian tombs, Roman granaries, medieval frescoes and Templar symbols — is now one of the most extraordinary private museums in Italy, and almost nobody outside Lecce knows it exists.
What's Down There
Descending through the family home, you pass through strata of civilisation: a Messapian hypogeum at the deepest level, Roman storage rooms above it, then Byzantine and medieval layers, each clearly labelled with finds still in situ.
The Knights Templar connection is the most dramatic detail — a series of carved symbols and a small chamber that archaeologists believe was used as a way-station during the Crusades, when Lecce was a major embarkation point for the Holy Land.
Visiting the Museum
The museum is still family-run and deliberately small — groups are kept to around 10 people, guided by a family member or trained local guide who tells the story with infectious pride.
Allow 45–60 minutes and wear flat shoes; the underground passages are narrow and the floors uneven. Photography is permitted throughout, and the low lighting makes for genuinely atmospheric shots.
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