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Visit Brescia

Brescia is situated in the Lombardy region to the west of Lake Garda.

The town is in an attractive setting and contains some good Roman ruins, some fine Renaissance architecture, and a touch of Mussolinis excesses.

There are four substantial Piazzas in the centre of the town - it is the most northerly of the four, at Piazza della Loggia, that is most attractive and contains the best architecture, including the loggia and the torre dellorologio (like Bergamo to the west the square has a significant Venetian influence).

From the Romanesque age to the Renaissance... and more

There is a great deal to see and enjoy in Brescia. An ideal route for visiting the city, enjoying the many artistic works of Brescia, would be the following:

Start from the railway station and travel along the short boulevard that leads into Corso Matteotti, which contains several churches and palaces of the 18th century, in particular Fe dOstiani Palace, and the Church of the Santi Nazario and Celso with paintings of Moretto (Coronation of Mary) and Titian. Then continue via Fratelli Bronzetti to see the Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli, rebuilt often between the 1488 and 1569. It has a very nice facade, with some Lombard and Venetian decoration.

From the Vicolo Saint Nicholas you can reach the Church of St. Francis, of Romanic style, built between the 1255 and 1265. The Church is very interesting because it contains a considerable number of important paintings and antiquities - in addition to a "Deposition of Christ" by a pupil of the great master Giotto (Giotto di Bondone, 1267-1337), the others include some by the Masters from Brescia of the XVI century, from the "Marriage of the Virgin" by Romanino (1484 c.-1562 c.) to many paintings by pupils of Titian (Tiziano Vecellio, 1488 c.-1576).

We recommend that you pass along Corso Garibaldi (with the great Palaces of the Martinengo and Colleoni) and into Via Fenarolo (with the Church of the Madonna del Carmine and numerous paintings by Guido Mazzoni [1450-1518] and Vincenzo Foppa [1427-1515]). Continue into Via San Faustino to see the Church of Santi Faustino e Giovita with paintings by Giambattista Tiepolo [1696-1770].) From here you can climb up to the Castle (with the formidable entry portal by Michele Sanmicheli [1484-1559] from which you can enjoy the panorama of the city of Brescia.

Passing the grandiose Porta Bruciata (Burned gate - in fact, it burned because of a fire in 1184), you enter into the city centre with the Church of Saint Joseph and Piazza della Loggia [Lodge Square], in the Renaissance style. In Piazza del Duomo see the "Duomo Vecchio" (XII century, with some paintings by Moretto) and the "Duomo Nuovo" (built in 1604, of late-Renassaince style), opposite which is the magnificent Civic Library named Queriniana (1758).

Visiting Piazza Labus you will see the ruins of a Roman building (the Curia), and to the East you can still admire a Roman column more than five metres high and the ruins of the Capitoline Temple erected by Emperor Vespasianus (73AD). Some archaeological excavations here have revealed the Roman Theatre, in which they are still visible traces of frescoes of Pompeian style. Here there is also a Roman Museum, rich in some examples of Romans portraits, works in glass and various bronzes. Near here also is the Museum of the Christian and Modern Age that collects many medieval works.

We can conclude the route around Brescia by descending from the Museum Via towards Brescia Arnold Square (with the monument to Arnold from Brescia [1090-1155], the heretic who was fighting against the corruption of the Church in his times. He was excommunicated by Pope Adrian IV in the 1155 and he was executed in Rome in the same year).

Turning at the Corso Magenta you will see the Church of Santa Eufemia (1776) and Oldofredi Palace; the Church of San Barnaba (1632); the Palazzo Martinengo (of Baroque style) with the Gallery Tosio-Martinengo that contains more than a thousand paintings from the 15th century onwards.

Brescia food and drink

If after a long visit you need to fortify yourself with the typical local dishes from Brescia, we recommend a famous dish of the place, the "polenta and osèi" [polenta and birds], the so-called "soup of mericonde" (flour, crumbs moistened in milk, butter and egg) and the "brofadei" (broth soup) and finally the "casonsei" (ravioli stuffed with vegetables and cheese). We also recommend that you taste the famous "Malvasia grappa" among the liqueurs.

See also history of Brescia.