Brescia

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Overview

The largest of the four great Eastern Lombard towns, Brescia is also the most Roman of the quartet. Indeed, the settlement known in antiquity as Brixia guards the most important Roman ruins in northern Italy. Backing them up is a huge monastic complex founded in the 8th century, a museum dedicated to a marathon car race and not one but two cathedrals residing side-by-side in the main square.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Santa Giulia

Brescia

You could spend a whole day in this monster of a museum housed in an ex-monastery and still have plenty left for another visit. Those with limited time…

Brixia Parco Archeologico

Brescia

Brescia’s impressive archaeological complex cleverly reconstructs the city’s Roman past from fragments first discovered in the 1820s. It consists of three…

Piazza della Vittoria

Brescia

Perhaps beautiful is not the word but this nonetheless fascinating piazza is a leftover of Il Duce's dreams of grandeur. Designed by Marcello Piacentini…

Museo Mille Miglia

Brescia

The original Mille Miglia (Thousand Miles) ran between 1927 and 1957 and was one of Italy's most legendary endurance car races – it started in Brescia and…

Palazzo Martinengo Cesaresco

Brescia

This 17th-century palace houses two separate museums, and it makes a worthwhile detour while exploring Brescia's historic sites. The Brixia Light Box …

Duomo Vecchio

Brescia

The most compelling of all Brescia's religious monuments is the 11th-century Duomo Vecchio, a rare example of a circular-plan Romanesque basilica, built…

Castello

Brescia

Set in a salubrious park atop a hill, Brescia’s impressive castle is a great place for aimless wandering (early mornings are best), soaking up views and…

Piazza del Foro

Brescia

Back in the first century AD, the Piazza del Foro was the centre of civic and religious life in Brescia (Brixia). You can see a few fragments – including…

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