Brescia | Historic Lioness of Italy

Brescia, a beautiful city located at the mouth of the Val Trompia on the slopes of Colle Cidneo and Monte della Maddalena in an area called Alta Padana bordered to the east by ?the Garda Pre-Alps, the second Lombard center after Milan that preserves a remarkable historic and artistic heritage.

Roman colony with the name of Brixia, Brescia lived for about four centuries integrated into the Republic of Venice and nicknamed "Lioness of Italy" by Aleardi? and ?arducci? for its tenacious resistance against Austrian rule during the famous 10 Days in 1849.

?I suggest starting the visit from Piazza della Loggia, the beating heart of the city where various monuments of the Renaissance era stand, an urban space developed in 1433 by the Podestà Marco Foscari which took the shape of a Venetian square.

You can stop in front of the ?Loggia, ?now the town hall, a palace dating back to the fifteenth century whose structure stands out for its large lead dome that dates back to 1914, a reproduction of the original one destroyed in 1575 by a fire that saw the disappearance of a ceiling that boasted three canvases by the great Titian.

The construction of this palace saw the protagonists until 1570, the year in which the works were completed by illustrious architects including Gasparo da Coirano, Palladio, Beretta and Sansovino.

The sculptural decoration by Botticino marble fa?ade is stupendous, with columns and pillars supporting beautiful arches that are interspersed containing busts of Roman Emperors.

Visiting the interior you can appreciate the presence of a splendid neo-Renaissance marble staircase built in 1902 by the architect Antonio Tagliaferro.

Continuation with the opposite Torre dell' Orologio ?characterized by its magnificent astronomical clock with two bronze statues that chime, a scene called in dialect by? the locals "i macc de le ure" or the fools of the hours.

On the south side of the square stands the Monti di Pietà and an arch with an aedicule with a fa?ade made up of tombstones and ancient marble sections dating back tothe Roman Imperial era, 22 inscriptions and three bas-reliefs that make this complex the largest Italian open-air lapidary museum.

The Old Mount? was a work by Filippo de Grassi? while the New Mount was executed by Bagnadore ?both erected between the end of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the fa?ade greatly shows the Venetian influence.

You will reach in front of the Burnt Tower erected in Roman times so called because?of a fire that occurred in 1184 dominated by the Milanese Tower dating back to 1100, a building developed on seven floors boasting a height of 30.0 meters crowned by Ghibelline battlements and 14th century corbels.

In Piazza Paolo VI you can admire the Duomo Nuovo and? Duomo Vecchio.

The first structure raised on a Greek plan within a quadrangular section shows a traditional late Baroque style covered in white Botticino marble by the local architect Gian Battista Laritana, work carried out at the beginning of the 17th century although finished in 1825 when a dome was added, the third highest in Italy.

Visiting the interior you can admire paintings by Romanino of the 16th century, the Nuvolone altarpiece ?located in ?the Chapel of the Holy Trinity, the other altarpiece of the high altar dating back to 1733 made by Giacinto Zoboli, the sepulchral ark of Sant' Apollonio dated 1510 ?and other works by Palma il Giovane and Moretto.

Continuation with the Duomo Vecchio? also called the "Rotonda" which is characterized by its Romanesque profile,erected in stone on a circular plan on the ruins of the Basilica Maggiore demolished between the 9th and 10th centuries with beautiful single-lancet windows on the fa?ade and a lantern at the top covered by a conical section.

Oustanding is the composition of eight pillars that support the arches under an immense hemispherical dome, various canvases by Moretto, paintings by? Romanino, a valuable Antegnati organ and the crypt of San Filastrio ?embellished with columns and capitals from the Roman period and the Byzantine school of Ravenna.

On the same square stands the Broletto located in what was the Roman Decumanus, ?the ancient administrative seat of the city in the Middle Ages. Built in 1223 on a quadrangular plan, with some medieval frescoes by Gentile da Fabriano?inside in the atrium of the Prefecture.

You will then enter Roman? Brescia ?admiring the remains of the Roman Forum with the beautiful Capitoline Temple? or "Capitolium"? built by the Roman Empire between 73 and 74 AD found in 1823 containing three cells of the Republican era and in modern times housing the Lapidary Museum? developed in 1830 containing collections of stelae, epigraphs and other objects from the Imperial period.

Afterwards you can admire the Roman Theater erected in?the 1st century of which the remains are visible, a complex that could accommodate about 15,000 spectators, many bronze objects including the Winged Victory were found in its perimeter and today preserved in the famous Museum of Santa Giulia.

Time for your lunch I suggest as traditional first courses Pumpkin Tortelli with Butter and Sage or Risotto with Robiola and Gorgonzola among the main courses to choose ?Local Hen with Spinach or Beef in Oil with Fried Celery and Carrots.

Walking Along Corso Matteotti you will reach the Church of Saints Nazaro and Celso which houses one of the youthful masterpieces of Titian,namely the Averoldi Polyptych ?which takes its name from the nobleman Altobello Averoldi who was the commissioner of this work executed on five panels depicting the risen Christ, a Virgin with Angel and Saints Nazaro,? Celso and Sebastiano.?

From a small street that leads to Colle Cidneo you will enter in the Contrada di Sant' Urbano? from where along a not difficult climb you will reach the Castle.

Once in front of the fortress you can stop at the keep developed in 1343 during the period of the Visconti Duchy with its drawbridge and towers surrounded by massive crenellated walls and a wide moat.

This section contains the Specola Cidnea, a well-known astronomical observatory and the Civic Museums which consist of the Museum of the Risorgimento and the Luigi Marzoli Museum of Arms.

Afterwards you will be in front of the imposing Panoramic Tower or Mirabella Tower, 22.0 meters high? from where you will enjoy beautiful panoramic views of the entire city.

Once you reach the core of the Castle you will find yourself in front of what was once a large fortified citadel with its courts, internal buildings, courtyards with access to basements, drawbridges that connected various spaces, structures developed between the 13th and 16th centuries.

The circular towers were the work of the Republic of Venice and you will noticer on the entrance gate the effigy of the Lion of St. Mark, the bastions and the warehouses called Grande and? Piccolo Miglio?which stored agricultural and food products.

The visit ends here, Brescia is a city that offers an immense historical and artistic heritage, visiting it will make you discover unique beauties and will certainly convey the desire to return in the future with great pleasure.

Link : https://www.bresciatourism.it/en/

Where to Stay | Recommended Accomodation

Hotel Ambasciatori

DoubleTree by Hilton Brescia