The Group of Eight (or G8) Finance Ministers are meeting in Lecce next month, prompting a variety of infrastructure improvements aimed at impressing the visiting dignitaries but from a longer-term perspective also will benefit travelers and residents. The G8 meeting will take place June 12 and 13, hosted by Italian Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti. Italy is hosting a series of G8 meetings this year as it holds the G8 Presidency. The G8 members are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Sally Mayo of Cultour reports from Lecce that “We are having many of our roads in the center of town resurfaced and there are lots of works in progress at the moment…The council says that they are making the most of a significant amount of funding which has been made available for these preparations. We hope that the result will be a neater, tidier and more beautiful and functional Lecce.”