Lecce’s historic center sits inside a limited traffic zone, the ZTL (zona a traffico limitato), watched by cameras at every entry gate. Residents and anyone with a reason to drive in need a ZTL permit, and the city is gradually closing the old town to unauthorized cars around the clock. Here is when you can drive in, which gates never open, and how permits work, checked against the Comune’s pages in October 2026.
When you can drive in without a permit
Under the ordinance of 16 July 2025, in force since 1 August 2025, the cameras on the ordinary gates switch off on weekdays from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 16:30 to 20:00. Outside those hours, and all day on Sundays and public holidays, you need a permit. The speed limit inside the ZTL is 20 km/h.
Some gates are now closed to unauthorized traffic 24 hours a day, whatever the time:
- the entrance at Porta Napoli (since 1 August 2025);
- viale XXV Luglio at via Trinchese and at via dei Mocenigo (ordinance of 9 September 2025);
- via Mario Bernardini and via Benedetto Cairoli (entrances) and Porta Rudiae towards via Adua (exit), added in May 2026.
The list keeps growing, so read the sign at each gate. The illuminated panel shows varco attivo when the camera is on and varco non attivo when it is off.
For a visit, the easiest plan is to leave the car outside the walls. Park on the ring road near Porta Rudiae and walk in: it’s about ten minutes to Piazza Sant’Oronzo, passing close to Piazza Duomo, with time to stop for a pasticciotto on the way. If walking in is hard work, the Lecce tourist train starts and finishes at Piazza del Duomo.
The permits office
Permits are handled by the ZTL and CUDE permits office at viale Rossini 110, ground floor. It issues ZTL permits and CUDE badges (the European disabled parking card), runs the gate cameras, and offers guided help with applications by appointment. For people with disabilities who have no one to help and no internet access, staff can visit at home to complete the application and deliver the CUDE badge, free of charge.
Permanent permits
Permanent permits last more than 90 days. Send the application only by certified email (PEC) to protocollo@pec.comune.lecce.it, or hand it in at the Protocol Office. The fee is €10, and the original payment receipt must be attached. You can pay into postal account no. 001032070029 or by bank transfer to IBAN IT52V0760116000001032070029, made out to Comune di Lecce Rilascio Permessi ZTL, with the car’s number plate as the payment reference. The Comune aims to process applications within seven working days.
Occasional permits
For one-off access, fill in the occasional access form (accessi occasionali) and send it by PEC or hand it in at the Protocol Office in Palazzo Carafa.
Occasional permits for setting up authorized events last 24 hours, from 00:00 to 24:00 on the same day. For weddings inside the ZTL, the permit runs from 7:00 to 21:00. For taking pupils to schools inside the ZTL, on school days, access can be authorized from 7:30 to 9:00 and from 12:00 to 14:00.
If you have to drive in outside the permitted hours for an exceptional or urgent reason, there is a fee, set by Resolution no. 14 of 21 January 2021. Trips to your own family doctor or to a pharmacy in the historic center are exempt. The fees are in the schedule attached to the ZTL rules below.
CUDE permits for people with disabilities
A car serving a person with a CUDE badge can enter the ZTL without any other authorization, but during camera hours the car must be on the list of authorized vehicles. Applications go to the permits office by PEC to protocollo@pec.comune.lecce.it or by hand at the Protocol Office, or through the free home-visit service.
Forms and paperwork
Forms and instructions for ZTL and CUDE permits are in the Modulistica section of the Comune website, and paper copies are available at the URP office in Piazza Sant’Oronzo. Late, incomplete or illegible applications are suspended, so check every field.
Permanent permits arrive at home by registered post. Temporary and daily permits, and CUDE permits for residents of the province, come by email. When a pass expires or is being renewed, destroy the old one straight away and tell the permits office with the restituzione pass ZTL form. Using an expired pass is fined.
If you drive in by mistake
If you pass an active gate by accident, send the Dichiarazione di Transito in ZTL form by PEC with supporting evidence as soon as you can, and within the deadline stated on the form (48 hours at the time of writing). The same applies to a car serving a disabled person that is not yet on the authorized list. For questions, the municipal police can be reached at poliziamunicipale@comune.lecce.it.
One common mistake is following GPS directions through Porta Napoli in the evening, assuming the cameras switch off after dinner. Since August 2025 that gate has been closed to unauthorized traffic 24 hours a day, so set your route to avoid it.
Residents inside the zone can apply for a resident parking permit in Lecce.
In short
Drive in on weekdays between 10:00 and 13:00 or 16:30 and 20:00, avoid the 24-hour gates, and never on Sundays or holidays without a permit. If you live in the center or need regular access, apply early. If you are visiting, park outside the walls and walk: almost everything in the old town is a short stroll from the ring road.
If you are planning ahead, we also cover buying a car in Italy, reaching the beach from Lecce by bus, boutique hotels in Lecce, and the rules for new drivers.
More Lecce guides: our Lecce hub.
