This 17th-century palace houses two separate museums, and it makes a worthwhile detour while exploring Brescia's historic sites. The Brixia Light Box (admission free) has an audiovisual projection that recreates in a rather dramatic fashion the ancient Roman forum during the Flavian dynasty. Displays of archaeological fragments round out the exhibition. Palazzo Martinengo's other galleries (admission €10) host excellent art exhibitions, showcasing works by well-known painters and sculptors from Italy and abroad.
Palazzo Martinengo Cesaresco
Brescia
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
17.44 MILES
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Nearby Brescia attractions
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Brescia’s impressive archaeological complex cleverly reconstructs the city’s Roman past from fragments first discovered in the 1820s. It consists of three…
0.06 MILES
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…
0.16 MILES
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The medieval town hall looms large over the plaza down below thanks to its soaring brick tower, which was built in the 12th century. Other parts of the…
0.17 MILES
The Duomo Nuovo was begun in 1604 but wasn't finished until 1825. Repeated alterations over the centuries make it a bit of a mishmash; the lower part of…
0.19 MILES
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…
0.21 MILES
The Torre dell'Orologio, with its exquisite astrological timepiece, is modelled on the one in Venice's Piazza San Marco.
8. Museo Civico del Risorgimento
0.23 MILES
This museum is dedicated to the history of Italian unification.