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 Thanks to dozens of mostly Baroque-era churches packing its maze of narrow streets, Lecce, the “Florence of the South,” dazzles with elaborately carved facades and interiors that erupt with symphonies of angels, cherubs, saints, saviors and Madonnas. But this small gem in Italy’s heel is far from a haven of monkish abstemiousness. A capital of southern Italian cooking, the city brims with rustic restaurants serving the hearty peasant cuisine and robust red wines of the Puglia (Apulia in English) region. Throw in a buzzing bar scene and nearby beaches of sun-bronzed bodies and you have a city fit for holy men and hedonists alike. 

We Know Italy does some things incomparably well.But travelers to the elegant boot don't just want to eat spaghetti, deal with opera and gawk at old ruins. Beyond the clichés, you'll find 10 other surprising ways in which Italy shines.

 Italy's first black minister who was dubbed an orangutan by a fellow politician has suffered another racist attack — after a spectator threw bananas at her during a rally.

 ITALY'S top court is to begin crucial hearings for former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi that could end the billionaire tycoon's parliamentary career and risk upsetting the country's fragile coalition.