Brescia (Italian:[ˈbreʃʃa]ⓘ,locally[ˈbreːʃa];Brescian:Brèsa[ˈbrɛsɔ,ˈbrɛhɔ,ˈbrɛsa,ˈbrɛha];Venetian:Bressa orBresa;Latin:Brixia) is a city andcomune (municipality) in the region ofLombardy, inItaly. It is situated at the foot of theAlps, a few kilometers from the lakesGarda andIseo. With a population of 200,352, it is the second largest city in Lombardy and the fourth largest innorthwest Italy.[3] The urban area of Brescia extends beyond the administrative city limits and has a population of 672,822,[4] while over 1.5 million people live in itsmetropolitan area.[4] The city is the administrative capital of theProvince of Brescia, one of the largest in Italy, with over 1.2 million inhabitants.[2]
Founded over 3,200 years ago, Brescia (in antiquity Brixia) has been an important regional centre since pre-Roman times. Its old town contains the best-preservedRoman public buildings in northern Italy[5][6] and numerous monuments, among these themedieval castle, theOld andNew cathedral, theRenaissancePiazza della Loggia and therationalistPiazza della Vittoria.
Brescia is considered to be an important industrial city.[8] Metallurgy and production of metal parts, machine tools and firearms are of particular economic significance, along with mechanical and automotive engineering. Among the major companies based in the Brescia metro area there are utility companyA2A, automotive manufacturer OMR, steel producersLucchini and Alfa Acciai, machine tools producers Camozzi and Lonati, firearms manufacturers Fausti,Beretta andPerazzi, gas equipment manufacturers Sabaf and Cavagna, etc.
Brescia is home to the prestigiousMille Miglia classic car race that starts and ends in the town.
In the arts, it was nicknamedLeonessa d'Italia ("The Lioness of Italy").Gabriele d'Annunzio selectedGardone Riviera (nearby on the shores ofGarda Lake) as his final residence. The estate he built (largely thanks to state-sponsored funding), ilVittoriale, is now a public institution devoted to the arts; a museum dedicated to him is hosted in his former residence. Brescia is also the setting for most of the action inAlessandro Manzoni's 1822 playAdelchi.
The province is known for being the production area of theFranciacorta sparkling wine, as well as the main source of Italian-producedcaviar. Brescia with her territory was the "European Region of Gastronomy" in 2017 and the "Italian Capital of Culture" withBergamo in 2023.[9]
Various myths relate to the founding of Brescia: one assigns it toHercules, while another attributes its foundation asAltilia ("the other Ilium") by a fugitive from the siege ofTroy. According to another myth, the founder was the king of theLigures,Cidnus, who had invaded thePadan Plain in the lateBronze Age.Colle Cidneo (Cidnus's Hill) was named after that version, and it is the site of the medieval castle. This myth seems to have a grain of truth, because recent archaeological excavations have unearthed remains of a settlement dating back to 1,200 BC that scholars presume to have been built and inhabited by Ligures peoples.[11][12] Others scholars[who?] attribute[why?] the founding of Brescia to theEtruscans.[citation needed]
TheGallicCenomani, allies of theInsubres, invaded in the 7th century BC, and used the town as their capital. The city became Roman in 225 BC, when the Cenomani submitted to the Romans. During theCarthaginian Wars, 'Brixia' (as it was called then) was allied with the Romans. During a Celtic alliance againstRome the city remained faithful to the Romans. With their Roman allies the city attacked and destroyed the Insubres by surprise. Subsequently, the city and the tribe entered the Roman world peacefully as faithful allies, maintaining a certain administrative freedom. In 89 BC, Brixia was recognized ascivitas ("city"), and in 41 BC, 48 years later, its inhabitants finally received Roman citizenship.Augustus founded a civil (not military) colony there in 27 BC, and he andTiberius constructed anaqueduct to supply it. Roman Brixia had at least three temples, an aqueduct, a theatre, a forum with another temple built underVespasianus, and some baths.[citation needed]
WhenConstantine advanced againstMaxentius in AD 312, an engagement took place at Brixia in which the enemy was forced to retreat as far asVerona. In 402, the city was ravaged by theVisigoths ofAlaric I. During the 452 invasion of theHuns underAttila, the city was besieged and sacked. Forty years later, it was one of the first conquests by the Gothic generalTheoderic the Great in his war againstOdoacer.[citation needed]
In 568 (or 569), Brescia was taken from theByzantines by theLombards, who made it the capital of one of their semi-independent duchies. The first duke was Alachis, who died in 573. Later dukes included the future kings of the LombardsRothari andRodoald, and Alachis II, a fervent anti-Catholic, who was killed in battle atCornate d'Adda in 688. The last king of the Lombards,Desiderius, also held the title Duke of Brescia.
In 774,Charlemagne captured the city and ended the presence of the Lombard kingdom in northern Italy. Notingus was the first (prince-)bishop (in 844) who bore the title ofcount (seeBishopric of Brescia). From 855 to 875, underLouis II the Younger, Brescia becamede facto capital of theHoly Roman Empire. Later the power of the bishop as imperial representative was gradually opposed by the local citizens and nobles, resulting in Brescia becoming afree commune around the early 12th century. Subsequently, it expanded into the nearby countryside, first at the expense of the local landholders, and later against the neighbouring communes, notablyBergamo andCremona. Brescia defeated the latter twice atPontoglio, then at the Grumore (mid-12th century) and in the battle of the Malamorte (Bad Death) (1192).
In 1138, Brescia experienced a communal revolt against the local Bishop Manfred led by radical reformer andCanons regularArnold of Brescia.[13] This revolt broke out due to the city's involvement in the ecclesiastical and political conflict that resulted from the1130 papal election. This controversial election divided theCollege of Cardinals and caused a schism betweenPope Innocent II (who had the minority vote) andAntipope Anacletus II (who had the majority vote). During the early 1130s, when Anacletus had power over Brescia, he appointed Bishop Villanus to the diocese, but in 1132 Innocent regained control and installed Manfred. Despite Manfred supporting the reformed clergy, which Brescia had historical supported with its proximity toMilan and thePataria reform movement in the 11th century, Manfred was cast out as he clashed with the growth of the commune and the local nobility.[14][15] The revolt began around 1135 and was manageable at first, but by 1138 Manfred was forced to seek papal support and left for Rome. Arnold is believed to have joined the revolt around this time, as contemporary historianJohn of Salisbury records that Arnold only "so swayed the minds of the citizens that they would scarcely open their gates to the bishop on his return."[16] Manfred was therefore forced to return to Rome and was likely witness to theSecond Council of the Lateran in 1139, after which he obtained Pope Innocent's support and had Arnold exiled from Italy. Arnold's home was Brescia, but he would never return to the city; instead he developed his reform ideology while in exile and continued to dissent against the Church. He worked with intellectualPeter Abelard (who he potentially studied under in the 1110s) who was condemned of heresy at theCouncil of Sens 1141 and went on to join theCommune of Rome in 1148, which led to his execution byFrederick Barbarossa andPope Adrian IV in 1155.[17]
During the struggles of the 12th and 13th centuries between the Lombard cities and the Holy Roman emperors, Brescia was implicated either in league with the emperors or against them. In theBattle of Legnano the contingent from Brescia was second in size to that ofMilan. ThePeace of Constance (1183) that ended the war withFrederick Barbarossa confirmed officially the free status of thecomune. In 1201 thepodestàRambertino Buvalelli made peace and established a league with Cremona, Bergamo, andMantua. Memorable also was thesiege laid by the EmperorFrederick II in 1238 on account of the part taken by Brescia in theBattle of Cortenova (1237). Brescia came through this assault victorious. After the fall of theHohenstaufen, republican institutions declined in Brescia as in the other free cities and the leadership was contested between powerful families, chief among them the Maggi and the Brusati, the latter of the (pro-imperial, anti-papal)Ghibelline party. In 1258 the city fell into the hands ofEzzelino da Romano.
In 1311Emperor Henry VII laid siege to Brescia for six months, losing three-fourths of his army. Later theScaliger of Verona, aided by the exiled Ghibellines, sought to place Brescia under subjugation. The citizens of Brescia then had recourse toJohn of Luxemburg, butMastino II della Scala expelled the governor appointed by him. His mastery was soon contested by theVisconti of Milan, but not even their rule was undisputed, asPandolfo III Malatesta took possession of the city in 1406. However, in 1416 he bartered it toFilippo Maria Visconti duke of Milan, who in 1426 sold it to the Venetians. The Milanese nobles forced Filippo to resume hostilities against the Venetians, and thus to attempt the recovery of Brescia, but he was defeated in theBattle of Maclodio (1427), near Brescia, by generalCarmagnola, commander of the Venetian mercenary army. In 1439, Brescia was once more besieged byFrancesco Sforza, captain of the Venetians, who defeatedNiccolò Piccinino, Filippo'scondottiero. Thenceforward Brescia and the province were a Venetian possession, only disrupted by the French conquest in 1512.
Map of Brescia in the early 18th centuryThe dome of the New Cathedral
Brescia has had a major role in thehistory of the violin. Many archive documents very clearly testify that from 1490 to 1640 Brescia was the cradle of a magnificent school of string players and makers, all styled "maestro", of all the different kinds of stringed instruments of the Renaissance:viola da gamba (viols);violone;lyra;lyrone;violetta; andviola da brazzo. So you can find from 1495 "maestro delle viole" or "maestro delle lire" and later, at least from 1558, "maestro di far violini" that is master of violin making. From 1530 the word violin appeared in Brescian documents and spread in later decades throughout north of Italy, reaching Venezia and Cremona.[citation needed]
Early in the 16th century, Brescia was one of the wealthiest cities of Lombardy, but it never recovered fromits sack by the French in 1512.[citation needed]
The "Sack of Brescia" took place on 18 February 1512, during theWar of the League of Cambrai. The city of Brescia had revolted against French control, garrisoning itself withVenetian troops.Gaston de Foix, recently arrived to command the French armies in Italy, ordered the city to surrender; when it refused, he attacked it with around 12,000 men. The French attack took place in a pouring rain, through a field of mud; Foix ordered his men to remove their shoes for better traction.[18] The defenders inflicted heavy casualties on the French, but were eventually overrun, suffering 8,000 – 15,000 casualties.[19] TheGascon infantry andlandsknechts then proceeded to thoroughly sack the city, massacring thousands of civilians over the next five days. Following this, the city ofBergamo paid some 60,000ducats to the French to avoid a similar fate.[citation needed]
The French occupied Brescia until 1520, when Venetian rule resumed. Thereafter, Brescia shared the fortunes of the Venetian republicuntil the latter fell at the hands of French generalNapoleon Bonaparte.[citation needed]
In 1769, in theBrescia explosion, the city was devastated when the Bastion of San Nazaro was struck bylightning. The resulting fire ignited 90,000 kg (90 t; 200,000 lb; 99 short tons) ofgunpowder stored there, causing a massive explosion which destroyed one-sixth of the Brescia and killed 3,000 people.[citation needed]
Brescia revolted in1848; then again in March 1849, when the Piedmontese army invaded Austrian-controlled Lombardy, the people in Brescia overthrew the hated local Austrian administration, and the Austrian military contingent, led by GeneralJulius Jacob von Haynau, retreated to theCastello di Brescia [it]. When the larger military operations turned against the Piedmontese, forcing them to retreat, Brescia was left to its own resources. Still, the citizens managed to resist recapture by the Austrian army for ten days of bloody and obstinate street fighting that are now celebrated as theTen Days of Brescia. This prompted poetGiosuè Carducci to nickname BresciaLeonessa d'Italia ("Lioness of Italy") for it fierce resistance.
In 1859, the city was conquered by the Italian troops and Brescia was included in the newly foundedKingdom of Italy.
The city was awarded a gold medal for its resistance against Fascism inWorld War II.
Brescia is located in the northwestern section of thePo Valley, at the foot of theBrescian Prealps, between theMella and the Naviglio, with theLake Iseo to the west and theLake Garda to the east (but it has also other important lakes like Idro and Moro[20]). The southern area of the city is flat, while towards the north the territory becomes hilly. The city's lowest point is 104 metres (341 ft) above sea level, the highest point isMonte Maddalena at 874 metres (2,867 ft), while the centre of the town is 149 metres (489 ft). The administrative comune covers a total area of 90.3 square kilometres (34.9 sq mi).
Modern Brescia has a central area focused on residential and tertiary activities. Around the city proper, lies a vast urban agglomeration with over 600,000 inhabitants that expands mainly to the north, to the west and to the east, engulfing many communes in a continuous urban landscape.
From left to right: panoramic views of the city from South and from West, panoramic view of the city centre and the business district
According to theKöppen climate classification, Brescia has a mid-latitudehumid subtropical climate (Cfa). Its average annual temperature is 13.7 °C (57 °F): 18.2 °C (65 °F) during the day and 9.1 °C (48 °F) at night. The warmest months are June, July, and August, with high temperatures from 27.8 to 30.3 °C (82 to 87 °F). The coldest are December, January, and February, with low temperatures from −1.5 to 0.6 °C (29 to 33 °F).
Winter is moderately cold, but not harsh, with some snow, mainly occurs from December through February, but snow cover does not usually remain for long. Summer can be sultry, when humidity levels are high and peak temperatures can reach 35 °C (95 °F). Spring and autumn are generally pleasant, with temperatures ranging between 10 and 20 °C (50 and 68 °F).
The relative humidity is high throughout the year, especially in winter when it causes fog, mainly from dusk until late morning, although the phenomenon has become increasingly less frequent in recent years.
Precipitation is spread evenly throughout the year. The driest month is December, with precipitation of 54.6 mm (2.15 in), while the wettest month is May, with 104.9 mm (4.13 in) of rain.
Climate data for Brescia (Brescia Ghedi Air Base) (1991–2020 normals, extremes extremes 1951–present)
As of 2025, Brescia has a population of 199,949, of whom 48.4% are male and 51.6% female. Minors (children aged 0–17) totalled 16% of the population compared to pensioners who number 24.6%. This compares with the Italian average of 16.5% (minors) and 22% (pensioners). Between 2024 and 2025, the population of Brescia grew by 0.85%, while Italy as a whole declined by 0.06%.[27] The current birth rate of Brescia is 7.9 births per 1,000 inhabitants compared to the Italian average of 8 births.
Brescia is one of the most cosmopolitan and multicultural cities in Italy. In 2020, the foreign-born residents represented 18% of the total population.[28][29] The largest immigrant group comes from East European nations (mostlyRomania,Ukraine,Moldova andAlbania), the others from South Asia (mostlyPakistan,India andSri Lanka) and Africa. The city is predominantlyRoman Catholic, but due to immigration now has someOrthodox Christian,Sikh andMuslim followers.
In 2006 there were about 1,000 people of Pakistani origins living in Brescia.[30]
Palazzo della Loggia, Brescia City HallPalazzo Broletto, seat of theProvince and of thePrefecture of Brescia
Since local government political reorganization in 1993, Brescia has been governed by the City Council of Brescia, which is based inPalazzo della Loggia. Voters elect directly 32 councilors and the mayor of Brescia every five years.
Brescia was generally considered in the past one of the most important politicalbellwether in Italy. Historical stronghold ofDC party, in 1994 it was the city in which was firstly experimented the newborn political center-left coalition formed by members of formerPCI and DC parties againstSilvio Berlusconi's center-right coalition: that year the last secretary ofDC and former minister,Mino Martinazzoli, run as mayor with the support of the leftistPDS and won the election defeating theForza Italia-Lega Nord bloc candidate, endorsed by Berlusconi. This experience is considered even today one of the bases ofRomano Prodi'sThe Olive Tree political coalition.
Since then to 2008 the center-left coalition held the largest number of seats with a partnership administration based on the alliance between the major left-wing, green and independents parties. Anyway, in the 2008 local elections the center-right coalition formed by Silvio Berlusconi'sPeople of Freedom party and the regionalistLega Nord won for the first time the majority in the City Council. These elections occurred the same day Berlusconi's coalition achieved an outright majority across the country. However, in the 2013 elections theDemocratic Party achieved an outright majority across the city and the center-left coalition became again the major force in the City Council. In the 2018 local elections the center-left coalition obtained even the 54% of the votes on the first round and theDemocratic Party, which obtained nearly the 35% of the votes, gained 15 seats out of 32 in the City Council. In the 2023 local elections the center-left coalition obtained again the 54% of the votes on the first round.
The current mayor of Brescia isLaura Castelletti, acenter-leftindependent, elected on 20 May 2023. She previously served as deputy mayor for 10 years between 2013 and 2023.
Brescia is also the capital of its own province. The Provincial Council is seated inPalazzo Broletto.
The city of Brescia is divided in 5 boroughs calledzone. Eachzona is subdivided into a different number ofquartieri. Here is a list of Brescia'szone andquartieri:
The old town of Brescia (characterized, in the northeast, by a rectangular plan, with the streets that intersect at right angles, a peculiarity handed down from Roman times) has a significant artistic and archaeological heritage, consisting of various monuments ranging from the ancient age to contemporary.
This is the archaeological complex where there are the best-preserved Roman public buildings in thenorthern Italy,[5][6] composed of:
Republican sanctuary
It is under the Capitoline temple. It has been built in the 1st century BC and it is the oldest structure of theforum. It consists of four rectangular rooms next to each other and inside them, there are the remains of the originalmosaic floors and the wallfrescoes, which from a stylistic point of view and state of preservation are comparable to those ofPompeii.[31] Since the spring of 2015, the western room has opened to the public, while the rest of the building is still undergoing archaeological excavation and restoration.
The primary temple in the city, it was dedicated to the cult of theCapitoline Triad. It was built in 73 AD and consists of threecellae that have preserved much of the original polychromemarble floors,[31] while their interior walls are now alapidarium displaying ancient Romanepigraphs collected in the 19th century. In front of the cellae, is a fragmentaryportico, composed ofCorinthian columns that support apediment containing a dedication to theEmperor Vespasian. Almost entirely buried by a landslide of the Cidneo Hill, it was rediscovered in 1823 through various archaeological campaigns. During excavation in 1826, a splendid bronze statue of awinged Victory was found inside it, likely hidden in late antiquity to preserve it from pillage. After restoration completed in 2013, the site reopened as a new archaeological park.
Roman theatre
It is located immediately at east of theCapitolium. It has been built in theFlavian era and altered in the 3rd century. With its 86 m (282 ft) diameter, is one of the largestRoman theatres in northern Italy and originally it housed around 15,000 spectators. In the 5th century, an earthquake has heavily damaged the building. In addition, in later centuries, its remains were incorporated into new buildings built on top of it, largely demolished starting from the 19th century. Of the original structure are preserved the semicircular perimeter walls, the two side passages (aditus) and the remains of theproscenium, as well as many fragments of columns and friezes of thescaenae frons. Most of theorchestra and theimacavea are still below ground. The archaeological excavations should resume in the coming years.
Near theCapitolium is located thePalazzo Maggi Gambara, an aristocratic palace built in the 16th century on top of the west ruins of the Roman theatre.
The interior of the church of Santa Maria in Solario with theCross of DesideriusDomus dell'Ortaglia, remains of a group of ancient Romandomus
The monastic complex of San Salvatore-Santa Giulia is an outstanding architectural palimpsest,[5][32] today transformed into theMuseo di Santa Giulia, which contains about 11,000 works of art and archaeological finds.[33] During the period of Longobard domination, PrincessAnselperga, daughter of KingDesiderius, headed the monastery. It consists of:
Basilica of San Salvatore
It has been built in 753 by Duke of Brescia Desiderius, future Lombard king, and his wife Ansa. It is characterized by the simultaneous use of the Longobards stylistic elements and decorative motifs of classical and Byzantine art and it is one of the most important examples of High Middle Ages architecture in Italy.[34] The basilica has a nave with two apses and has a transept with three apses. It is located over a pre-existing church, which had a single nave and three apses. Expanded in the following centuries, it houses various works of art, including theStories of St. Obizio painted byRomanino andStories of the Virgin and the infancy of Christ by Paolo Caylina il Giovane,[35] as well as others from the Carolingian age.
Church of Santa Maria in Solario
It has been built in the mid-12th century as a chapel inside the monastery. It has a square base with an octagonal lantern and has two internal levels.[35] Four vaults, supported in the centre by an ancient Roman altar, covers the lower floor, while a hemispherical dome covers the upper chamber, that has, into the east wall, three small apses. Inside there are frescoes byFloriano Ferramola and two of the most important pieces of the treasure of the ancient monastery: theBrescia Casket (that consists of a small ivory box dating the 4th century) and the Cross of Desiderius (made of silver and gold plate, studded with 212 precious gems).[36]
The nuns' choir
It is placed between the Basilica of San Salvatore and the church of Santa Giulia. It has been built between the late 15th and early 16th century and it is on two levels. The lower level is the old churchyard covered for access to the basilica. The upper floor is the real choir, made up by a room covered by a barrel vault, which is connected to the east with San Salvatore by three small windows with a grating, on the west by Santa Giulia through an arch. The interior of the choir is entirely decorated with frescoes painted by Ferramola and Caylina, and inside are shown different funerary monuments of the Venetian age, including theMartinengo Mausoleum, a masterpiece of the Renaissance sculpture in Lombardy.[37]
Church of Santa Giulia
It has been built between 1593 and 1599. The façade, made of Botticino marble, is decorated with a double row of pilasters of the Corinthian order, separated by a rich marble frieze and connected to the sides by volutes. The inside consists of a spacious nave covered with a barrel vault. In the church, there are no sacred furniture and there are only a few scraps of the frescoes that originally decorated each surface. Although annexed to the monastery, it is not part of theMuseo di Santa Giulia and is used as a conference room.[35]
In the former vegetable garden of this monastery have been discovered a group of Romandomus calledDomus dell'Ortaglia that were used between the 1st and 4th centuries and they are some of the best preserved domus in northern Italy.
Palazzo Monte di Pietà inPiazza della Loggia and theTorre dell'Orologio with the astronomical clock
The two cathedrals of Brescia: the Old (at right) and the New (at left)The church of San Faustino and GiovitaTheMonumental Cemetery and the Lighthouse of BresciaTeatro GrandePiazzaArnaldoA view ofBrescia Due with its skyscrapers: the tallest one is theCrystal Palace.
Piazza della Loggia, an example ofRenaissancepiazza, with the eponymousPalazzo dellaLoggia (current Town Hall). Construction began in 1492 under the direction of Filippo de' Grassi and it was completed only in the 16th century bySansovino andPalladio.Vanvitelli designed the upper room of the palace (1769). On the south side of the square are two 15th–16th centuryMonti di Pietà (Christian lending houses). Their façades are embedded with ancient Roman tombstones, one of oldest antique lapidary displays in Italy.[38] At the centre of the east side of the square stands theTorre dell'Orologio, a tower with a large astronomical clock (mid-16th-century) on top of which there are two copper anthropomorphic automata which strike the hours on a bell. On 28 May 1974, the square was targeted by theterrorist bombing.
Duomo Nuovo: construction of theNew Cathedral began in 1604 and it was only completed in 1825. Initially designed by Palladio, economic shortfalls led to younger local architects and artists completing initial work, including decorations byPietro Maria Bagnadore. The interior has major frescoes byIl Moretto. The high altarpiece is byJacopo Zoboli (1735). The main attraction is theArk of Sts Apollonius andFilastrius (1510).[40]
Broletto: the 12th-and 13th-century Town Hall, now houses offices of both the commune and province. On the Piazza front is the balcony from where the medieval city officials spoke to the townsfolk; on the north side, rises a tall tower called "Tower of Pégol" or "Tower of the People" (theLombard:Tòr del Pégol), whose bells were once used to summon the citizens in moments of distress.
Piazza della Vittoria, an example of ItalianArt Déco architecture. It was built between 1927 and 1932 by architectMarcello Piacentini through the demolition of part of the medieval old town and it has an L-shape. On the inside corner right there is theTorrione INA, the first skyscraper built in Italy.[41] In the north background there is the largePalazzo delle poste ("Post Office building"), with its ocher-white two-tone upholstery. TheTorre della Rivoluzione ("Tower of the Revolution") and three other buildings, recalling the classical architecture, complete the square.
Piazza del Foro: site of the Roman forum. In addition to the already mentionedCapitolium,republican sanctuary andRoman theatre, various other remains are visible in the area. Among these, on the south side of the square, are scanty remains of a building called thecuria, which may have been a basilica.
Palazzo Martinengo Cesaresco Novarino: mid-17th-century palace, now home to art exhibitions and an underground archaeological exhibit, depicting city's history from the earlyIron Age to the present day, concentrating in a single place 3,000 years of urban history of Brescia.[42]
San Francesco: Romanesque-Gothic church and cloisters.
Castle of Brescia: also known asFalcone d'Italia ("Falcon of Italy"), it is located atop Cidneo Hill in the northeast corner of the town. The castle was built between the 13th and the 16th century, and it is among the largest castles in Italy.[44] Besides commanding a fine view of the city and a large part of the surrounding area, as well as being a local favorite recreational area, it hosts the Arms Museum, with a fine collection of weapons from the Middle Ages onwards; theRisorgimento Museum, dedicated to the Italian independence wars of the 19th century; an exhibition of model railroads; and an astronomical observatory.
San Faustino e Giovita: church also known asSan Faustino Maggiore. The interior has a fresco depictingApotheosis of Sts Faustino, Jovita, Benedict and Scholastica byGiandomenico Tiepolo.
Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie: basilica church built between the 16th and 17th centuries with Baroque frescoes and stucco, and a work of Il Moretto.
San Giuseppe: 16th-century church houses frescoes and decoration including fourteenStations of the Cross of St. Joseph (1713) byGiovanni Antonio Capello. The church houses the tombs ofGasparo da Salò, one of the inventors of the modern violin andBenedetto Marcello, Baroque musician. Inside it, there is one of the oldestorgans in the world.[45]
Torre della Pallata: massive tower built in 1254 as part of the medieval walls. In the 15th century, the clock, merlons, and turret added. The fountain on the western side was designed in 1597 by Bagnadore.
San Giovanni: church with a refectory painted jointly by il Moretto and il Romanino.
Monumental Cemetery: also known asVantiniano, is the largest cemetery in Brescia, designed around 1813 byRodolfo Vantini. It is the first monumental cemetery built in Italy[46] and at its centre stands theLighthouse of Brescia (60 meters tall) which has inspired the architectHeinrich Strack for the design of theBerlin Victory Column.[47]
Teatro Grande: opera house renovated several times between the mid-17th and mid-19th century. The nameGrande ("Big") is derived from the former nameIl Grande ("The Great") in honour ofNapoleon Bonaparte. The horseshoe-shaped auditorium is richly decorated and has five galleries. Since 1912, the theatre is anational monument.[48]
Biblioteca Queriniana, containing rare early manuscripts, including theCodex Brixianus, a 14th-century manuscript ofDante, and some rareincunabula.
Crystal Palace: as a part of Brescia Due, is the tallest habitable structure of the city with a height of 110 m (360 ft),[49] it was built by the architect Bruno Fedrigolli between 1988 and 1992 and according to the first project this skyscraper would have been the tallest one in Italy.[50]
The city has no fewer than seventy-two public fountains. The stone quarries ofBotticino, 8 km (5 mi) east of Brescia, supplied marble for theMonument to Vittorio Emanuele II in Rome.
The most important museums of Brescia are the following:
Museo di Santa Giulia ("Santa Giulia Museum"): it is the city Museum, situated in the monastic complex of San Salvatore-Santa Giulia, which has a rich Roman section. One of the masterpieces is the bronze statue of a winged Victory, originally probably a Venus, converted in antiquity into the Victory by adding the wings; it is said to be in the act of writing the winner's name on her shield (now lost). Also very interesting, one of the very few places in the world where the remains of two Roman domus can be visited on their original site simply by strolling into one of the museum halls.
Museo della Mille Miglia ("Mille Miglia Museum"). Situated inside the former Monastery of S. Eufemia, the museum celebrates the history of the 1,600-kilometre (1,000 mi) car race from Brescia to Rome and back that began in 1927. It shows films, memorabilia, dresses, posters, and a number of classic cars that are periodically replaced by other in case of participation in events.[51]
Museo Diocesano di Brescia ("Diocesan Museum of Brescia"). It is located in the former Monastery of St. Joseph and houses a permanent collection of sacred artworks, including paintings,illuminated manuscripts, as well as one of the most extensive collections ofvestments in Italy.[52]
Museo Nazionale della fotografia ("National Museum of Photography"). It hosts a collection of photographic and cinematographic machines, along with various camera accessories and a photo library with about 60,000 photographs.[53]
Museo delle Armi "Luigi Marzoli" ("Luigi Marzoli" Arms Museum"). Located in the Castle, it is one of the most important European collections of old armour and weaponry. It hosts about 600 pieces of armour, weapons and firearms from the 15th to the 19th century.[54]
Museo degli strumenti musicali e della liuteria bresciana ("Museum of the Musical Instruments and Brescian lutherie"). It hosts string and wind instruments, as well as a rich collection ofchoirbooks and musical scores.
Collezione Paolo VI – arte contemporanea ("Paul VI Collection – Contemporary Art"). It is located inConcesio, on the northern outskirts of Brescia, and hosts the contemporary art collection ofPope Paul VI, composed of about 7,000 works of many famous artists, includingMatisse,Chagall,Picasso,Dalí and others. It was opened on 8 November 2009, inaugurated byPope Benedict XVI.[55]
Besides these, there are other museums in Brescia:
Museo del Risorgimento ("Risorgimento Museum")
Ma.Co.f. – Centro della fotografia italiana ("Centre of Italian photography")
Museo del Ferro – Museo dell'Industria e del Lavoro ("Museum of Industry and Labour")
The Beatles Museum
Museo Ken Damy della Fotografia contemporanea
AmbienteParco – Museo dell'Acqua ("Water Museum")
Museo di Scienze Naturali ("Natural Science Museum")
From left to right:Parco delle Cave,Parco Mazzolari andParco Ducos in winter
Due to its location in the foothills of the Alps, Brescia has forests close to the city centre. About 80% of its municipal territory is covered by woodlands and farmlands: total amount of public green space is 26.3 square kilometres (10.2 sq mi), or 134 square metres (1,440 sq ft) per inhabitant, while agricultural zones cover an area of 45.6 square kilometres (17.6 sq mi).[56]
The largest park of Brescia isParco delle Colline di Brescia ("Brescia Hills Park") that has a total surface of 43.09 square kilometres (16.64 sq mi),[57] of which 21.83 square kilometres (8.43 sq mi) fall within the city limits.[56] The park was established in 2000 with the purpose of preserving, safeguarding, and enhancing the natural heritage of the hills surrounding Brescia. Woods cover about 70% of the surface of the park; the rest consists of meadows, vineyard and olive plantations. The most common plants in the park arehop-hornbeam,downy oak,sweet chestnut,manna ash, but there is also the presence of Mediterranean species such asterebinth,tree heath,bay laurel andholm oak. The fauna of the park includes foxes,European badgers,wild boars and other mammals, while the most common birds arerobins,blackbirds,blackcaps andwrens.[58]
In 2018 another public park known asParco delle Cave was opened on the site of former sand quarries in the south of the city. After the full opening at the end of 2021, now the park covers an area of 2 km2 (490 acres).
Other parks are scattered throughout the city, such asParco del Castello ("Castle Park"),Parco Tarello,Parco Mazzolari,Parco Ducos andCampo di Marte.
University of Brescia, Economics facultyClassic lyceum "Arnaldo", established in 1797, is one of the oldest and most prominent high schools in Brescia.
As 2019, in Brescia there are 51 primary schools, of which 42 public and 9 private. There are also 29lower secondary schools, of which 21 public and 8 private.[59]
University of Brescia is a public university founded in 1982 and ranked among the Top 700 universities worldwide.[60] It is divided into 4 faculties: Economics, Engineering, Law, Medicine and Surgery.
Catholic University of Brescia, founded in 1968, is a satellite campus of theUniversità Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. It is divided into 6 faculties: Literature and Philosophy; Psychology; Education; Language Sciences and Foreign Literature; Mathematics, Physics and Natural Sciences; Political and Social Sciences.
Brescia is also home of two academies of fine art (Libera Accademia di Belle Arti (LABA) andAccademia di Belle Arti SantaGiulia) and a conservatory of music (Conservatorio Luca Marenzio).
Brescia is an important medical centre. The main hospital of the city isSpedali Civili di Brescia, which has 2,180 beds and an employed staff of 6,175.[61] It was founded in 1427 and is considered the second best hospital in Italy.[62] Other hospitals are located in the city:Fondazione Poliambulanza,Casa di Cura S. Camillo,Istituto Clinico S. Anna andIstituto Clinico Città di Brescia.
The city is at the centre of the third largest Italian industrial area.[63] The localConfindustria, the AIB – Associazione Industriale Bresciana (Industrial Association of Brescia), was the first industry association founded in Italy in 1897.[64] The Brescian companies are typically a small or medium-sized, often family-run, ranging from the food to the engineering industry.
Vineyards in the middle of the city with an extension of 4 ha (9.9 acres)
Theviticulture is the most important agricultural sector of the Brescianfood system. The municipality of Brescia is part of the production areas of five different wines: aDOCG wine, i.e. theFranciacorta,[65] threeDOC wines (Botticino,[66]Cellatica[67] andCurtefranca[68]) and anIGT wine (Ronchi di Brescia[69]). In addition, in its old town, along the northern slope of the Cidneo Hill, there is the largest urbanvineyard in Europe,[70] characterized by the cultivation ofInvernenga, a local white grape variety present in Brescia since Roman times.[71]
Another very important sector is the production ofolive oil, especially in the nearby area of Lake Garda. The European Union has recorded asPDO two typologies of extra virgin olive oils and they areGarda andLaghi lombardi.
Brescia is also the homeland of Italiancaviar. InCalvisano, about 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of the city centre, is located the world's largest sturgeons farm[72] that produces annually 25 tonnes (25 long tons; 28 short tons) of caviar exported all over the world.[73]
The main industrial activities of Brescia are those mechanical, specialized in the production and distribution of machine tools. Also important is the production ofmotor vehicle, represented by theOM, which is the manufacturer ofIveco trucks, and the production ofweapons, among which the Fausti,Beretta, Fabarm andPerazzi. Very important is the metallurgical industry. On the outskirts of town, there are two steel mills: the "Alfa Acciai" and "Ori Martin". Other crucial industrial activities are the production ofcutlery andfaucets, along with the textile, footwear and clothing, as well as the production ofbuilding materials andbricks. The intense industrial development has resulted in a high level of pollution in the outskirts of the city located near the disused chemical factory "Caffaro" that produced PCB. For this reason, this part of the city is in the list of SIN – Siti di Interesse Nazionale (Sites of National Interest). According to a study carried out by the Edison Foundation andConfindustria in 2015, Brescia is the province with the highest value added by industry in Europe.[74]
Brescia hosts the headquarters of several industry groups, including theLucchini Group, the Feralpi and the Camozzi Group. Brescia is also home to theA2A Group (the result of the merger of ASM Brescia, AEM Milano and AMSA).
The financial sector is also a major employer, with the presence of several branches of banks and financial assets. TheUBI Banca Group, fourth largest banking group in Italy, has several division headquarters in the city.
The significant historical and artistic heritage of Brescia (since 2011 in the UNESCO World Heritage list) and the natural beauties of its surrounding area (like theLake Garda, theVal Camonica and theLake Iseo) have allowed the city to attract an increasing number of visitors. In 10 years, the number of tourists who visited Brescia has almost doubled from 142,556 in 2003[75] to over 280,000 in 2013.[76]
Additionally, Brescia is close to important tourist destinations (Milan can be directly reached in 45 minutes by train,Venice andFlorence in about 2 hours) and is one of the cheapest cities in Italy in terms of hotel stays.[77][78][79] For these reasons, tourists often use Brescia as a base to explore the surrounding places.
Brescia Mobilità (BM) is the statutory corporation responsible for the transport network in Brescia; it operates one metro line (Brescia Metro) and 19 urban bus lines. Besides public transport, BM manages the interchange parking lots and other transportation services includingbike sharing andcarsharing systems.
Since 2004 in the city center of Brescia is active a traffic restricted zone or ZTL (Italian:Zona a Traffico Limitato). The objective of the ZTL, together with a program of pedestrianizations of the main squares and streets of the historical center, is to drastically reduce the chronic traffic jams that take place in the city of Brescia, promotingsustainable mobility and public transport, and decreasing the existing levels of smog that have become unsustainable from the point of view of public health.
TheBrescia Metro is arapid transit network that opened on 2 March 2013.[80] The network comprises one line, 13.7 kilometres (9 mi) long,[81] with 17 stations[81] betweenBuffalora andPrealpino, of which 13 are underground.
The first projects for a metro in Brescia date back to the 1980s, with the introduction of the first fully automatic light metro systems in other mid-size cities in Europe.Two feasibility studies were commissioned in 1987. The automatic light metro system was chosen as the best technology for the city. The first public tender was announced in 1989. But this project was then cancelled in 1996.
In 1994, the first application for public financing was issued. The public financing form the central government arrived in 1995, while other funds arrived in 2002 from theRegion. The international public bid for the first phase of the project was announced in 2000. The winning proposal was from a group of companies comprisingAnsaldo STS,AnsaldoBreda,Astaldi andAcciona, with a system similar to that of the Copenhagen metro.
A €575 million contract was awarded to a consortium led byAnsaldo STS in April 2003.[82] Work started in January 2004, but archaeological finds caused delays and required station redesigns.[80][83]
Former tramway network operated from 1882 to 1949, but the city is due to reintroduce trams in the 2030s. The construction of the new light rail line, from the quarter of Pendolina to city fair center, was funded byItalian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport for 422 milion euros.[84] The city council approved the definitive project on 24 June 2024.[85]
Brescia has three railway stations. Themain station, which opened in 1854, is located on theMilan-Venice railway and is the starting point for theBrescia-Iseo-Edolo,Brescia-Cremona,Brescia-Parma andBergamo–Brescia rail lines. The station has 15 platforms and is used by about 20 million passengers per year. Other railway stations areBorgo San Giovanni (a lesser station that is located on the Brescia-Iseo-Edolo railway) andBrescia Scalo, with no passenger service and used as a freight station.
From Brescia,high speed trains connect toMilan, Rome,Naples,Turin,Bologna,Florence andVenice; one can reach Milan in 35 min, Venice in 1h and 35 min, Florence in 2 hours and 15 min and Rome in 3 hours and 35 min. In addition there are international day trains to Zurich, and overnight sleeper services to Paris and Dijon (Thello), Munich and Vienna (ÖBB).
Brescia is at the top of the ranking of European cities with the highest preventable mortality burdens for PM2.5 pollution in a new study published in January 2021 by The Lancet Planetary Health,[86] which estimates the death rate associated with fineparticulate matter (PM2.5) andnitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution in 1000 European cities.
Legambiente based on the number of days the legal air-quality limits were breached in 2018. The report said Brescia failed to respect the legal limits for 150 days last year, 103 for ozone and 47 for Pm10 particles.[87]
Brescia was the starting and end point of the historical car raceMille Miglia that took place annually in May until 1957 on a Brescia-Rome-Brescia itinerary, and also the now defunctCoppa Florio, one of the first ever sport motor races. The Mille Miglia tradition is now kept alive by the "Historic Mille Miglia",[88] a world-class event that gathers in Brescia every year thousands of fans of motor sports and of vintage sports cars. The only cars admitted to the race are the ones that could have competed in (although they do not necessarily have to have taken part in) the original Mille Miglia. The race nowadays is not however a speed race anymore, but rather a "regularity" race; speed races have actually been banned on regularroads in Italy because of the deadly accident that killed a driver and ten bystanders in the last minutes of the 1957 Mille Miglia – that therefore became the last of the original races. In recent years, many celebrities have participated in the Mille Miglia, includingRowan Atkinson,Daniel Day Lewis,Jeremy Irons,Jay Leno,Brian Johnson,Elliot Gleave,David Gandy,Jodie Kidd,Yasmin Le Bon and others.[89][90][91]
Brescia is the home of theBasket Brescia Leonessa basketball club. Leonessa has its home arena in the newPalaLeonessa,[92] inaugurated in 2018, with a capacity of 5,200.[93]
The monument representing a lion, the sign on the coat of arms of the city. The monument is also commonly considered a dedication to the "Lioness of Italy", nickname given to the city after the resistance the people of Brescia put in place during theTen Days of Brescia in 1849 against theAustrians.Monument toLa Bella Italia, erected in 1864 in the memory of theTen Days of BresciaMonument toArnaldo in the homonymous square, erected in 1882Monument toGiuseppe Garibaldi, erected in 1889
Camillo Golgi, (1843–1926), experimental pathologist, received Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1906 for his studies of the structure of the nervous system
For many years Brescia has been considered a "city of water" due to the presence of many canals and natural waterways, as the French authorPaul de Musset (1804–1880) once wrote: "The wide streets and numerous fountains give it an air of a big city. Water gushes in the squares and circulates in private homes almost as abundantly as in Rome".[101]
^"Storia del Colle Cidneo" [History of the Cidneo Hill].bresciamusei.com (in Italian). Archived fromthe original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved14 May 2014.
^Moore, R. I. (1994).The Origins of European Dissent. London: University of Toronto Press. p. 117.ISBN0-8020-7566-5.
^Greenway, George William (1931).Arnold of Brescia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 23–25.
^Schmitz-Esser, Romedio (2004). "Arnold of Brescia in Exile: April 1139 to December 1143 – His Role as a Reformer, Reviewed". In Napran, Laura (ed.).Exile in the Middle Ages: Selected proceedings from the International Medieval Congress, University of Leeds 8–11 July 2002. Turnhout: Brepols. p. 216.
^Moore, R. I. (1995).The Birth of Popular Heresy. London: University of Toronto Press. p. 67.ISBN0-8020-7659-9.
^Johnson, Phillip D. (2016).Arnold of Brescia: Apostle of Liberty in Twelfth-Century Europe. Eugene: Wipf & Stock. pp. 32–42,68–75,85–125.
^"Parte la metro! 2 marzo 2013" [The Metro goes! March 2, 2013] (in Italian). Brescia Mobilitá. 5 February 2013. Archived fromthe original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved11 October 2013.
^"Tram arrivato l'ok al finanziamento da 359 milioni".Corriere della Sera - "Brescia" (in Italian). 12 November 2021. p. 5.Davide Bacca (12 November 2021). "Tram, il Governo stanzia 359 milioni. La prima corsa nel marzo del 2029".Giornale di Brescia (in Italian). p. 16.Salvatore Montillo (15 November 2023). "Un assegno di 63 milioni mette il tram sui binari giusti".Giornale di Brescia (in Italian). p. 9.
^Luca Goffi (25 June 2024). "Dal consiglio comunale il sì al tram".Corriere della Sera - "Brescia" (in Italian). p. 4.Nuri Fatolahzadeh (25 June 2024). "Brescia timbra il biglietto del futuro e sale sul tram senza il centrodestra".Giornale di Brescia (in Italian). p. 12.Davide Bacca (7 June 2022). "Il nuovo tram accelera. Il progetto affidato ai francesi di Systra".Giornale di Brescia (in Italian). p. 9.
^"Brescia città d'acqua" [Brescia city of water.].oltreiltondino.it (in Italian). Archived fromthe original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved26 February 2020.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Brescia".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
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