Located in the heart of Lecce, in Piazza S. Oronzo, and brought to light at the beginning of the twentieth century following radical urban redefinition of the city, the original building is now visible about a third, while the remaining portion is hidden below the square and the buildings facing it. The archaeological excavations were started in 1900 by the archaeologist Cosimo De Giorgi and, with several interruptions, continued until 1940. Probably dating back to the Augustan age, the Amphitheatre had an elliptical plan, measured about 102 x 82 m and was able to accommodate between 12,000 and 14,000 people. The construction, built using the Lecce stone bank to support the steps, has the arena, the lower ambulatory and the radial connecting tunnels excavated directly into the rock; the supporting elements of the elevation were instead made in square works and connected by structures in cement conglomerate with reticulated vestments in masonry.Planimetrically the Amphitheatre was divided into four sectors marked by four entrances at the main axes. The access was at the level of the middle cavea and from here, through a system of connecting stairs, it was possible to go out on the steps, go up towards the upper perimeter portico and the summa cavea or go down towards the lower ambulatory, connected with the ima cavea and, through six service passages, with the arena. The outer wall was originally marked by a succession of 68 arches, of which 24 pillars remain visible today. The perimeter gallery on the second floor was probably surmounted by a portico, which can be traced back to the phase of the Arian restoration, to which several fragments of architectural decoration in Pentelic marble are attributed. Even the podium was to be entirely covered with marble slabs, while a continuous relief with scenes of venationes ran along the balteus, the parapet of the arena. Inside the lower ambulatory there are numerous elements that can be traced back to the sculptural decoration of the building.
