Osteria degli Spiriti, a must stop in Lecce

A place that combines typicality in the kitchen and sophistication in the cellar, thanks to the resourcefulness of Tiziana Parlangeli and her husband Piero Merazzi, at the helm of this family business.

With a well-kept environment, vaulted ceiling made of Lecce stone, a cozy and warm atmosphere and a lot of attention to aesthetics, Osteria degli Spiriti is a must for those who come to Lecce and want to learn about its gastronomic traditions and culinary specialties.

A whole family at the helm, with Tiziana Parlangeli in the kitchen, her husband Piero Merazzi in the dining room and their two sons who also run the adjoining pizzeria, dividing their time between the two activities. A spokesman for the food and wine of Lecce, the Salento area and Puglia in general, Osteria degli Spiriti is a must stop. 

Established in 2001 in a small building on the edge of the city center, Osteria degli Spiriti is the concrete realization of Tiziana's passion for the recovery of traditional recipes, local dishes, and the preservation of ancient dishes that have been handed down for generations and that have the flavor of memories and love, linked above all to family lunches. A precious heritage that tells of the specialties as stages of holidays and recurrences and emphasize the culture (customs, habits and traditions) of Lecce.

Coupled with the cuisine is Piero's transport for wine, so much so that he knows all the territorial productions and builds over time a cellar of great depth, with a focus of local, then Italian and international labels (about 500), which has made the Osteria degli Spiriti a top destination for eating and drinking. 

With only 60 covers, the menu adapts to the offerings of the daily market, with also daily proposals, whose preparations see the use of typical products made in Salento that come from artisanal farms, the local sea, Lecce's vegetable gardens and overall complemented with extra virgin olive oil from Salento varieties. All start ingredients of Tiziana's cuisine that under the banner of tradition does not, however, lack contemporary flashes.

Among the must-try dishes: the fluffy fried pittule with capocollo di Martina Franca, meatballs and horse meat chops dipped in tomato sauce, pignatta octopus, sweet and sour eggplant, cod in tartare, and fresh pastas, such as orecchiette and gnocchi topped with the catch. Among the offerings there is no shortage of raw fish from the typical seafood tradition. A must conclude with Leccese coffee served with ice and almond milk. 

Osteria degli Spiriti is a safe stop, with simple, authentic cuisine, where the table, set with classic white Flanders tablecloths and locally crafted furnishings, bears such elegance.

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