Brescia, Italy
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of
Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...
, in
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. It is situated at the foot of the
Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...
, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and
Iseo Iseo may refer to: Acronyms * International Sustainable Energy Organization (ISEO) Places Italy * Iseo, Lombardy, a ''comune'' in the Province of Brescia * Lake Iseo, a lake in the Provinces of Bergamo and Brescia, Lombardy * Provaglio d'Ise ...
. With a population of 199,949, it is the second largest city in Lombardy and the fourth largest in
northwest Italy Northwest Italy ( or just ) is one of the five official statistical regions of Italy used by the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), a first level NUTS region and a European Parliament constituency. Northwest encompasses four of the ...
. The urban area of Brescia extends beyond the administrative city limits and has a population of 672,822, while over 1.5 million people live in its
metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...
. The city is the administrative capital of the
Province of Brescia The province of Brescia (; Brescian: ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Lombardy region of Italy. It has a population of some 1,265,964 (as of January 2019) and its capital is the city of Brescia.With an area of 4,785 km2, it is the ...
, one of the largest in Italy, with over 1.2 million inhabitants. 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-preserved
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
public buildings in northern Italy and numerous monuments, among these the
medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
castle, the Old and New cathedral, the
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
''
Piazza della Loggia Piazza della Loggia, or more simply Piazza Loggia, also known as Piazza Grande or Piazza Vecchia (''Piàsa dela Lògia'' or ''Piàsa ècia'' in Brescian, Brescian dialect), is one of the Italian city Brescia's main squares, a symbolic place of t ...
'' and the rationalist ''Piazza della Vittoria''. The monumental archaeological area of the Roman forum and the monastic complex of San Salvatore-Santa Giulia have become a
UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
as part of a group of seven inscribed as Longobards in Italy, Places of Power. Brescia is considered to be an important industrial city. 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 company
A2A A2A S.p.A. is an Italian company, organised as a ''società per azioni'', that generates, distributes, and markets renewable energy, electricity, gas, integrated water supply, and waste management services. The company has significant presence i ...
, automotive manufacturer OMR, steel producers Lucchini and Alfa Acciai, machine tools producers Camozzi and Lonati, firearms manufacturers Fausti,
Beretta Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta (; "Pietro Beretta Weapons Factory") is a privately held Italian firearms manufacturing company operating in several countries. Its firearms are used worldwide for various civilian, law enforcement, and military p ...
and
Perazzi Perazzi is a manufacturer of precision shotguns from Brescia, Italy. The company sells hunting and sporting models of shotguns noted for their removable trigger groups, high quality, and high prices (US$7,500–$440,000). Its founder is Daniele ...
, gas equipment manufacturers Sabaf and Cavagna, etc. Brescia is home to the prestigious
Mille Miglia The Mille Miglia (, ''Thousand Miles'') was an open-road, motorsport Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race established in 1927 by the young Counts :it:Franco Mazzotti, Francesco Mazzotti and Aymo Maggi. It took place in Italy 24 times f ...
classic car race that starts and ends in the town. In the arts, it was nicknamed ''Leonessa d'Italia'' ("The Lioness of Italy") by Gabriele d'Annunzio, who selected
Gardone Riviera Gardone Riviera ( Gardesano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy. It is situated on the western shore of Lake Garda. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). Twin towns Gard ...
(nearby on the shores of
Garda Lake Lake Garda (, , or , ; ; ) is the largest lake in Italy. It is a popular holiday location in northern Italy, between Brescia and Milan to the west, and Verona and Venice to the east. The lake cuts into the edge of the Italian Alps, particul ...
) as his final residence. The estate he built (largely thanks to state-sponsored funding), il Vittoriale, 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 in
Alessandro Manzoni Alessandro Francesco Tommaso Antonio Manzoni (, , ; 7 March 1785 – 22 May 1873) was an Italian poet, novelist and philosopher. He is famous for the novel ''The Betrothed (Manzoni novel), The Betrothed'' (orig. ) (1827), generally ranked among ...
's 1822 play ''
Adelchi ''Adelchi'' () is the second tragedy written by Alessandro Manzoni.#Banham 1998, Banham 1998, p. 678. Set on the Italian Peninsula, the play was first published in 1822. The main character is Adalgis (prince), Adelchis, the son of the last Lombar ...
''. The province is known for being the production area of the
Franciacorta Franciacorta () is a historical region in the Province of Brescia, Lombardy, Italy, with a population of around 158,249. It is known for its wine production and includes world-famous producers such as Berlucchi, Bellavista and Ca' del Bosco. Th ...
sparkling wine, as well as the main source of Italian-produced
caviar Caviar or caviare is a food consisting of salt-cured roe of the family Acipenseridae. Caviar is considered a delicacy and is eaten as a garnish or spread. Traditionally, the term caviar refers only to roe from wild sturgeon in the Caspi ...
. Brescia with her territory was the "European Region of Gastronomy" in 2017 and the "Italian Capital of Culture" with
Bergamo Bergamo ( , ; ) is a city in the Alps, alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from the alpine lakes Lake Como, Como and Lake Iseo, Iseo and 70 km (43 mi) from Lake Garda, Garda and Lake ...
in 2023.


History


Ancient era

Various myths relate to the founding of Brescia: one assigns it to
Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...
, while another attributes its foundation as ''Altilia'' ("the other Ilium") by a fugitive from the siege of
Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...
. According to another myth, the founder was the king of the
Ligures The Ligures or Ligurians were an ancient people after whom Liguria, a region of present-day Northern Italy, north-western Italy, is named. Because of the strong Celts, Celtic influences on their language and culture, they were also known in anti ...
, Cidnus, who had invaded the
Padan Plain The Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of the Po, or Padan Plain (, , or ) is a major geographical feature of northern Italy. It extends approximately in an east-west direction, with an area of including its Venetian Plain, Venetic extension not actu ...
in the late
Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
. ''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. Others scholars attribute the founding of Brescia to the
Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *Etruscan civilization (1st millennium BC) and related things: **Etruscan language ** Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities **Etruscan coins **Etruscan history **Etruscan myt ...
s. The Gallic Cenomani, allies of the
Insubres The Insubres or Insubri were an ancient Celtic population settled in Insubria, in what is now the Italian region of Lombardy. They were the founders of Mediolanum (Milan). Though completely Gaulish at the time of Roman conquest, they were the re ...
, 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 the
Carthaginian Wars The Punic Wars were a series of wars fought between the Roman Republic and the Carthaginian Empire during the period 264 to 146BC. Three such wars took place, involving a total of forty-three years of warfare on both land and sea across the we ...
, 'Brixia' (as it was called then) was allied with the Romans. During a Celtic alliance against
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
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 as ''civitas'' ("city"), and in 41 BC, 48 years later, its inhabitants finally received Roman citizenship.
Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...
founded a civil (not military) colony there in 27 BC, and he and
Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus ( ; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was Roman emperor from AD 14 until 37. He succeeded his stepfather Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC to Roman politician Tiberius Cl ...
constructed an aqueduct to supply it. Roman Brixia had at least three temples, an aqueduct, a theatre, a forum with another temple built under
Vespasianus Vespasian (; ; 17 November AD 9 – 23 June 79) was Roman emperor from 69 to 79. The last emperor to reign in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for 27 years. His fiscal reforms and consolid ...
, and some baths. When
Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I * Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine g ...
advanced against
Maxentius Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius ( 283 – 28 October 312) was a Roman emperor from 306 until his death in 312. Despite ruling in Italy and North Africa, and having the recognition of the Senate in Rome, he was not recognized as a legitimate ...
in AD 312, an engagement took place at Brixia in which the enemy was forced to retreat as far as
Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...
. In 402, the city was ravaged by the
Visigoths The Visigoths (; ) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied Barbarian kingdoms, barbarian military group unite ...
of
Alaric I Alaric I (; , 'ruler of all'; ; – 411 AD) was the first Germanic kingship, king of the Visigoths, from 395 to 410. He rose to leadership of the Goths who came to occupy Moesia—territory acquired a couple of decades earlier by a combine ...
. During the 452 invasion of the
Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th centuries AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was par ...
under
Attila Attila ( or ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in early 453. He was also the leader of an empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Gepids, among others, in Central Europe, C ...
, the city was besieged and sacked. Forty years later, it was one of the first conquests by the Gothic general
Theoderic the Great Theodoric (or Theoderic) the Great (454 – 30 August 526), also called Theodoric the Amal, was king of the Ostrogoths (475–526), and ruler of the independent Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy between 493 and 526, regent of the Visigoths (511–526 ...
in his war against
Odoacer Odoacer ( – 15 March 493 AD), also spelled Odovacer or Odovacar, was a barbarian soldier and statesman from the Middle Danube who deposed the Western Roman child emperor Romulus Augustulus and became the ruler of Italy (476–493). Odoacer' ...
.


Middle Ages

In 568 (or 569), Brescia was taken from the
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
s by the
Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...
, 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 Lombards
Rothari Rothari (or Rothair) ( 606 – 652), of the house of Arodus, was king of the Lombards from 636 to 652; previously he had been duke of Brescia. He succeeded Arioald, who was an Arian like himself, and was one of the most energetic of Lombard ki ...
and
Rodoald Rodoald (or ''Rodwald''), ( 630 – 653) was a Lombard king of Italy, who succeeded his father Rothari on the throne in 652. He was said to be lecherous and he was assassinated after a reign of just six months in 653 by the husband of one of his ...
, and Alachis II, a fervent anti-Catholic, who was killed in battle at
Cornate d'Adda Cornate d'Adda (''Curnàa'' in the Brianza dialect, and simply Cornate until 1924) is a ''comune'' of 10,799 inhabitants in the province of Monza and Brianza, and it is 21 km away from Monza, the provincial capital. It is part of the '' Vimercat ...
in 688. The last king of the Lombards,
Desiderius Desiderius, also known as Daufer or Dauferius (born – died ), was king of the Lombards in northern Italy, ruling from 756 to 774. The Frankish king of renown, Charlemagne, married Desiderius's daughter and subsequently conquered his realm. De ...
, also held the title Duke of Brescia. In 774,
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...
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 of
count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
(see Bishopric of Brescia). From 855 to 875, under
Louis II the Younger Louis II (825 – 12 August 875), sometimes called the Younger, was the king of Italy and emperor of the Carolingian Empire from 844, co-ruling with his father Lothair I until 855, after which he ruled alone. Louis's usual title was ''impera ...
, Brescia became ''de facto'' capital of the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
. Later the power of the bishop as imperial representative was gradually opposed by the local citizens and nobles, resulting in Brescia becoming a
free commune Medieval communes in the European Middle Ages had sworn allegiances of mutual defense (both physical defense and of traditional freedoms) among the citizens of a town or city. These took many forms and varied widely in organization and makeup. C ...
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, notably
Bergamo Bergamo ( , ; ) is a city in the Alps, alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from the alpine lakes Lake Como, Como and Lake Iseo, Iseo and 70 km (43 mi) from Lake Garda, Garda and Lake ...
and
Cremona Cremona ( , , ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po (river), Po river in the middle of the Po Valley. It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local city a ...
. Brescia defeated the latter twice at Pontoglio, 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 and
Canons regular The Canons Regular of St. Augustine are Catholic priests who live in community under a rule ( and κανών, ''kanon'', in Greek) and are generally organised into Religious order (Catholic), religious orders, differing from both Secular clergy, ...
Arnold of Brescia Arnold of Brescia ( 1090 – June 1155), also known as Arnaldus (), was an Italian canon regular from Lombardy, who called on the Church to renounce property-ownership and participated in the failed Commune of Rome of 1144–1193. He is considere ...
. This revolt broke out due to the city's involvement in the ecclesiastical and political conflict that resulted from the
1130 papal election The 1130 papal election (held February 14) was convoked after the death of Pope Honorius II and resulted in a double election. Part of the cardinals, led by Cardinal-Chancellor Aymery de la Châtre, elected Gregorio Papareschi as Pope Innocent ...
. This controversial election divided the
College of Cardinals The College of Cardinals (), also called the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. there are cardinals, of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Appointed by the pope, ...
and caused a schism between
Pope Innocent II Pope Innocent II (; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as Pope was controversial, and the first eight years o ...
(who had the minority vote) and
Antipope Anacletus II Anacletus II (died January 25, 1138), born Pietro Pierleoni, was an antipope who ruled in opposition to Pope Innocent II from 1130 until his death in 1138. After the death of Pope Honorius II, the college of Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinals ...
(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 to
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
and the
Pataria The ''pataria'' was an eleventh-century Catholic movement focused on the city of Milan in northern Italy, which aimed to reform the clergy and ecclesiastic government within the city and its ecclesiastical province, in support of papal sanctions ...
reform movement in the 11th century, Manfred was cast out as he clashed with the growth of the commune and the local nobility. 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 historian
John of Salisbury John of Salisbury (late 1110s – 25 October 1180), who described himself as Johannes Parvus ("John the Little"), was an English author, philosopher, educationalist, diplomat and bishop of Chartres. The historian Hans Liebeschuetz described him ...
records that Arnold only 'so swayed the minds of the citizens that they would scarcely open their gates to the bishop on his return.' Manfred was therefore forced to return to Rome and was likely witness to the
Second Council of the Lateran The Second Council of the Lateran was the tenth ecumenical council recognized by the Catholic Church. It was convened by Pope Innocent II in April 1139 and attended by close to a thousand clerics. Its immediate task was to neutralise the after ...
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 intellectual
Peter Abelard Peter Abelard (12 February 1079 – 21 April 1142) was a medieval French scholastic philosopher, leading logician, theologian, teacher, musician, composer, and poet. This source has a detailed description of his philosophical work. In philos ...
(who he potentially studied under in the 1110s) who was condemned of heresy at the
Council of Sens The Council or Synod of Sens () may refer to any of the following Catholic synods in Sens, France, sometimes recognized as Primate of the Gauls with oversight of the French and German churches: c. 601 Held in 600 or 601, this council condemned ...
1141 and went on to join the
Commune of Rome The Commune of Rome () was a semi-autonomous, citizen-led political regime established in the city of the same name, whose emergence can be included within the process of constitution of urban communes in Northern Italy (11th-12th centuries). As ...
in 1148, which led to his execution by
Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (; ), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 115 ...
and
Pope Adrian IV Pope Adrian (or Hadrian) IV (; born Nicholas Breakspear (or Brekespear); 1 September 1159) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 4 December 1154 until his death in 1159. Born in England, Adrian IV was the first Pope ...
in 1155. 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 the
Battle of Legnano The battle of Legnano was a battle between the imperial army of Frederick Barbarossa and the troops of the Lombard League on 29 May 1176, near the town of Legnano, in present-day Lombardy, Italy. Although the presence of the enemy nearby was al ...
the contingent from Brescia was second in size to that of
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
. The
Peace of Constance The Peace of Constance (25 June 1183) was a Privilege (law), privilege granted by Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor, and his son and co-ruler, Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor, Henry VI, King of the Romans, to the members of the Lombard League to end th ...
(1183) that ended the war with
Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (; ), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 115 ...
confirmed officially the free status of the ''comune''. In 1201 the ''
podestà (), also potestate or podesta in English, was the name given to the holder of the highest civil office in the government of the cities of central and northern Italy during the Late Middle Ages. Sometimes, it meant the chief magistrate of a c ...
''
Rambertino Buvalelli Rambertino di Guido Buvalelli (1170 or 1180 – September 1221), a Bolognese judge, statesman, diplomat, and poet, was the earliest of the ''podestà''-troubadours of thirteenth-century Lombardy. He served at one time or other as ''podestà' ...
made peace and established a league with Cremona, Bergamo, and
Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...
. Memorable also was the
siege A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...
laid by the Emperor Frederick II in 1238 on account of the part taken by Brescia in the Battle of Cortenova (1237). Brescia came through this assault victorious. After the fall of the
Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynast ...
, 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 The Guelphs and Ghibellines ( , ; ) were factions supporting the Pope (Guelphs) and the Holy Roman Emperor (Ghibellines) in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy during the Middle Ages. During the 12th and 13th centu ...
party. In 1258 the city fell into the hands of Ezzelino da Romano. In 1311
Emperor Henry VII Henry VII (German: ''Heinrich''; Vulgar Latin: ''Arrigo''; 1273 – 24 August 1313),Kleinhenz, pg. 494 also known as Henry of Luxembourg, was Count of Luxembourg, King of Germany ('' Rex Romanorum'') from 1308 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1312. ...
laid siege to Brescia for six months, losing three-fourths of his army. Later the
Scaliger The House of Della Scala, whose members were known as Scaligeri () or Scaligers (; from the Latinized ''de Scalis''), was the ruling family of Verona and mainland Veneto (except for Venice) from 1262 to 1387, for a total of 125 years. History ...
of Verona, aided by the exiled Ghibellines, sought to place Brescia under subjugation. The citizens of Brescia then had recourse to John of Luxemburg, but
Mastino II della Scala Mastino II della Scala (1308 – 3 June 1351) was lord of Verona. He was a member of the famous Scaliger family of Northern Italy. He was the son of Alboino I della Scala and Beatrice da Correggio. At the death of Cangrande I, he and his broth ...
expelled the governor appointed by him. His mastery was soon contested by the
Visconti of Milan The Visconti of Milan are a noble Italian family. They rose to power in Milan during the Middle Ages where they ruled from 1277 to 1447, initially as Lords then as Dukes, and several collateral branches still exist. The effective founder of the V ...
, but not even their rule was undisputed, as
Pandolfo III Malatesta Pandolfo III Malatesta (c. 1369 – October 3, 1427) was an Italian condottiero and lord of Fano, a member of the famous House of Malatesta. He was the father of the infamous Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta and Blessed Roberto Malatesta. Biograp ...
took possession of the city in 1406. However, in 1416 he bartered it to
Filippo Maria Visconti Filippo Maria Visconti (3 September 1392 – 13 August 1447) was the duke of Duchy of Milan, Milan from 1412 to 1447. Reports stated that he was "paranoid", but "shrewd as a ruler." He went to war in the 1420s with Romagna, Republic of Florenc ...
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 the Battle of Maclodio (1427), near Brescia, by general
Carmagnola Carmagnola (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located south of Turin. The town is on the right side of the Po river. The nature of the soil determined over time how the river's ...
, commander of the Venetian mercenary army. In 1439, Brescia was once more besieged by
Francesco Sforza Francesco I Sforza (; 23 July 1401 – 8 March 1466) was an Italian condottiero who founded the Sforza dynasty in the duchy of Milan, ruling as its (fourth) duke from 1450 until his death. In the 1420s, he participated in the War of L'Aqui ...
, captain of the Venetians, who defeated
Niccolò Piccinino Niccolò Piccinino (1386 – 15 October 1444) was an Italian condottiero. He began his career in the mercenary company of Braccio da Montone, reaching the rank of commander of the company after Braccios death in 1424. He spent most of his career ...
, Filippo's
condottiero Condottieri (; singular: ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian military leaders active during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The term originally referred specifically to commanders of mercenary companies, derived from the ...
. Thenceforward Brescia and the province were a Venetian possession, only disrupted by the French conquest in 1512.


Early Modern era

Brescia has had a major role in the
history of the violin The violin, viola and cello were first built in the early 16th century, in Italy. The earliest evidence for their existence is in paintings by Gaudenzio Ferrari from the 1530s, though Ferrari's instruments had only three strings. The ''Académie ...
. 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 The viola da gamba (), or viol, or informally gamba, is a bowed and fretted string instrument that is played (i.e. "on the leg"). It is distinct from the later violin family, violin, or ; and it is any one of the earlier viol family of bow (m ...
(viols);
violone The term violone (; literally 'large viol', being the augmentative suffix) can refer to several distinct large, bowed musical instruments which belong to either the viol or violin family. The violone is sometimes a fretted instrument, and may ...
;
lyra , from ; pronounced: ) is a small constellation. It is one of the 48 listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and is one of the modern 88 constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union. Lyra was often represented on star ...
; lyrone; violetta; and viola 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. Early in the 16th century, Brescia was one of the wealthiest cities of Lombardy, but it never recovered from its sack by the French in 1512. The "Sack of Brescia" took place on 18 February 1512, during the
War of the League of Cambrai The War of the League of Cambrai, sometimes known as the War of the Holy League and several other names, was fought from February 1508 to December 1516 as part of the Italian Wars of 1494–1559. The main participants of the war, who fough ...
. The city of Brescia had revolted against French control, garrisoning itself with Venetian 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. The defenders inflicted heavy casualties on the French, but were eventually overrun, suffering 8,000 – 15,000 casualties. The Gascon infantry and
landsknechts The (singular: , ), also rendered as Landsknechts or Lansquenets, were German mercenaries used in pike and shot formations during the early modern period. Consisting predominantly of pikemen and supporting foot soldiers, their front line was f ...
then proceeded to thoroughly sack the city, massacring thousands of civilians over the next five days. Following this, the city of
Bergamo Bergamo ( , ; ) is a city in the Alps, alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from the alpine lakes Lake Como, Como and Lake Iseo, Iseo and 70 km (43 mi) from Lake Garda, Garda and Lake ...
paid some 60,000
ducat The ducat ( ) coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages to the 19th century. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained wide inter ...
s to the French to avoid a similar fate. The French occupied Brescia until 1520, when Venetian rule resumed. Thereafter, Brescia shared the fortunes of the Venetian republic until the latter fell at the hands of French general
Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
. In 1769, in the
Brescia explosion The Brescia explosion occurred in 1769 in Brescia (now part of Italy) when a large store of gunpowder exploded after a lightning strike, causing extensive destruction and many deaths. Claims that as many as 6,000 people died in the explosion (whic ...
, the city was devastated when the Bastion of San Nazaro was struck by
lightning Lightning is a natural phenomenon consisting of electrostatic discharges occurring through the atmosphere between two electrically charged regions. One or both regions are within the atmosphere, with the second region sometimes occurring on ...
. The resulting fire ignited of
gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...
stored there, causing a massive explosion which destroyed one-sixth of the Brescia and killed 3,000 people. In 1799, during the
French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...
, the fortress, occupied by French troops, fell to the advancing allies of the
Second Coalition The War of the Second Coalition () (1798/9 – 1801/2, depending on periodisation) was the second war targeting revolutionary France by many European monarchies, led by Britain, Austria, and Russia and including the Ottoman Empire, Portugal, ...
(see
Capture of Brescia The capture of Brescia took place on 21 April 1799, during the Second Coalition war: General Field Marshal Count A. V. Suvorov's Russian and Habsburg troops took the fortress city of Brescia, having captivated the French garrison of General ...
).


19th century and later

In the
Napoleonic era The Napoleonic era is a period in the history of France and history of Europe, Europe. It is generally classified as including the fourth and final stage of the French Revolution, the first being the National Assembly (French Revoluti ...
, Brescia was part of the various revolutionary republics and then of the
Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (; ) was a kingdom in Northern Italy (formerly the Italian Republic) that was a client state of Napoleon's French Empire. It was fully influenced by revolutionary France and ended with Napoleon's defeat and fall. Its gover ...
after Napoleon became Emperor of the French. After the end of the Napoleonic era in 1815, Brescia was annexed to the Austrian puppet state known as the
Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia The Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia (), commonly called the "Lombardo-Venetian Kingdom" (; ), was a constituent land (crown land) of the Austrian Empire from 1815 to 1866. It was created in 1815 by resolution of the Congress of Vienna in recogniti ...
. Brescia revolted in
1848 1848 is historically famous for the wave of revolutions, a series of widespread struggles for more liberal governments, which broke out from Brazil to Hungary; although most failed in their immediate aims, they significantly altered the polit ...
; 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 General
Julius Jacob von Haynau Julius Jakob Freiherr von Haynau (14 October 1786 – 14 March 1853) was an Austrian general who suppressed insurrectionary movements in Italy and Hungary in 1848 and later. While a hugely effective military leader, he also gained renown as an agg ...
, retreated to the Castle (). 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 the
Ten Days of Brescia The Ten Days of Brescia () was a revolt which broke out in the northern Italian city of that name, which lasted from 23 March to 1 April 1849. In the early 19th century Brescia was subject of the Austrian empire, as the rest of Kingdom of Lomba ...
. This prompted poet
Giosuè Carducci Giosuè Alessandro Giuseppe Carducci (27 July 1835 – 16 February 1907) was an Italian poet, writer, literary critic and teacher. He was noticeably influential, and was regarded as the official national poet of modern Italy. In 1906, he became ...
to nickname Brescia "Leonessa d'Italia" ("Italian Lioness"), since it was the only Lombard town to rally to King Charles Albert of Piedmont (and to the cause of
Italian unification The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the annexation of various states of the Italian peninsula and its outlying isles to the Kingdom of ...
) in that year. In 1859, the city was conquered by the Italian troops and Brescia was included in the newly founded
Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...
. The city was awarded a gold medal for its resistance against Fascism in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. On 28 May 1974, it was the seat of the bloody
Piazza della Loggia bombing The Piazza della Loggia bombing () was a bombing that took place on the morning of 28 May 1974, in Brescia, Italy during an anti-fascist protest. The terrorist attack killed eight people and wounded 102. The bomb was placed inside a rubbish bi ...
.


Geography


Topography

Brescia is located in the northwestern section of the
Po Valley The Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of the Po, or Padan Plain (, , or ) is a major geographical feature of northern Italy. It extends approximately in an east-west direction, with an area of including its Venetian Plain, Venetic extension not actu ...
, at the foot of the
Brescian Prealps The Brescia and Garda Prealps (''Prealpi Bresciane e Gardesane'' in Italian language, Italian) are a mountain range in the southern part of the Alps. They are located mainly in Lombardy but also in Trentino Alto Adige and in Veneto, in the norther ...
, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with the
Lake Iseo Lake Iseo or Iseo lake ( ; ; ), also known as Sebino (; ), is the fourth largest lake in Lombardy, Italy, fed by the Oglio River. It is in the north of the country in the Val Camonica area, near the cities of Brescia and Bergamo. The lake ...
to the west and the
Lake Garda Lake Garda (, , or , ; ; ) is the largest lake in Italy. It is a popular holiday location in northern Italy, between Brescia and Milan to the west, and Verona and Venice to the east. The lake cuts into the edge of the Eastern Alps, Italian Alp ...
to the east (but it has also other important lakes like Idro and Moro). The southern area of the city is flat, while towards the north the territory becomes hilly. The city's lowest point is above sea level, the highest point is Monte Maddalena at , while the centre of the town is . The administrative comune covers a total area of . 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.


Climate

According to the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
, Brescia has a mid-latitude
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
(''Cfa''). Its average annual temperature is : during the day and at night. The warmest months are June, July, and August, with high temperatures from . The coldest are December, January, and February, with low temperatures from . 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 . Spring and autumn are generally pleasant, with temperatures ranging between . 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 , while the wettest month is May, with of rain.


Demographics

In 2015, there were 196,480 people residing in Brescia, of whom 47.1% were male and 52.9% were 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). In the four years between 2011 and 2015, the population of Brescia grew by 3.9%, while Italy as a whole grew by 2.1%. 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 2018, the foreign-born residents represented 12% of the total population. The largest immigrant group comes from other European nations (mostly
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
,
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
,
Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...
and
Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
), the others from South Asia (mostly
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
and India) and North Africa. The city is predominantly
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
, but due to immigration now has some Orthodox Christian,
Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...
and
Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
followers. In 2006 there were about 1,000 people of Pakistani origins living in Brescia.


Government

Since local government political reorganization in 1993, Brescia has been governed by the City Council of Brescia, which is based in ''Palazzo 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 political
bellwether A bellwether is a leader or an indicator of trends.bellwether
" ''Cambridge Dictionary''. Re ...
in Italy. Historical stronghold of DC party, in 1994 it was the city in which was firstly experimented the newborn political center-left coalition formed by members of former
PCI PCI may refer to: Business and economics * Payment card industry, businesses associated with debit, credit, and other payment cards ** Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, a set of security requirements for credit card processors * Prov ...
and DC parties against
Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; 29 September 193612 June 2023) was an Italian Media proprietor, media tycoon and politician who served as the prime minister of Italy in three governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a mem ...
's center-right coalition: that year the last secretary of DC and former minister,
Mino Martinazzoli Fermo "Mino" Martinazzoli (; 3 November 1931 – 4 September 2011) was an Italian lawyer, politician, and former minister. He was the last secretary of the Christian Democracy (Italy), Christian Democracy (DC) party and the first secretary of the ...
, run as mayor with the support of the leftist PDS and won the election defeating the
Forza Italia (FI; ) was a centre-right liberal-conservative political party in Italy, with Christian democratic,Chiara Moroni, , Carocci, Rome 2008 liberalOreste Massari, ''I partiti politici nelle democrazie contempoiranee'', Laterza, Rome-Bari 2004 (esp ...
-
Lega Nord Lega Nord (LN; ), whose complete name is (), is a right-wing politics, right-wing, federalism, federalist, populism, populist and conservatism, conservative list of political parties in Italy, political party in Italy. In the run-up to the 201 ...
bloc candidate, endorsed by Berlusconi. This experience is considered even today one of the bases of Romano Prodi's The Olive Tree (political coalition), The 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's People of Freedom party and the regionalist
Lega Nord Lega Nord (LN; ), whose complete name is (), is a right-wing politics, right-wing, federalism, federalist, populism, populist and conservatism, conservative list of political parties in Italy, political party in Italy. In the run-up to the 201 ...
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 the Democratic Party (Italy), Democratic 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 the Democratic Party (Italy), Democratic 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 is Laura Castelletti, a Center-left coalition, center-left Independent (politician), independent, 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 in ''Palazzo Broletto''.


Subdivision

The city of Brescia is divided in 5 boroughs called ''zone''. Each ''zona'' is subdivided into a different number of ''quartieri''. Here is a list of Brescia's ''zone'' and ''quartieri'':


Main sights

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.


UNESCO World Heritage monuments

In 2011, UNESCO inscribed the monumental area with the monastic complex of San Salvatore-Santa Giulia in the World Heritage List, belonging to the group known as "Longobards in Italy: Places of Power (568–774 A.D.)".


Monumental area of the Roman forum

This is the archaeological complex where there are the best-preserved Roman public buildings in the northern Italy, 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 the Forum (Roman), forum. It consists of four rectangular rooms next to each other and inside then there are the remains of the original mosaic floors and the wall frescoes, which from a stylistic point of view and state of preservation are comparable to those of Pompeii. 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. *''Capitolium of Brixia'' :The primary temple in the city, it was dedicated to the cult of the Capitoline Triad. It was built in 73 AD and consists of three ''cellae'' that have preserved much of the original polychrome marble floors, while their interior walls are now a lapidarium displaying ancient Roman epigraphy, epigraphs collected in the 19th century. In front of the cellae, is a fragmentary portico, composed of Corinthian order, Corinthian columns that support a pediment containing a dedication to the Emperor 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 a Nike (mythology), winged 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 the ''Capitolium''. It has been built in the Flavian dynasty, Flavian era and altered in the 3rd century. With its diameter, is one of the largest Roman theatre (structure), Roman 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 the ''proscenium'', as well as many fragments of columns and friezes of the ''scaenae frons''. Most of the ''orchestra'' and the ''ima cavea'' are still below ground. The archaeological excavations should resume in the coming years. Near the ''Capitolium'' is located the ''Palazzo Maggi Gambara'', an aristocratic palace built in the 16th century on top of the west ruins of the Roman theatre.


Monastic complex of San Salvatore-Santa Giulia

The monastic complex of San Salvatore-Santa Giulia is an outstanding architectural palimpsest, today transformed into the ''Museo di Santa Giulia'', which contains about 11,000 works of art and archaeological finds. During the period of Longobard domination, Princess Anselperga, daughter of King
Desiderius Desiderius, also known as Daufer or Dauferius (born – died ), was king of the Lombards in northern Italy, ruling from 756 to 774. The Frankish king of renown, Charlemagne, married Desiderius's daughter and subsequently conquered his realm. De ...
, 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. 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 the ''Stories of St. Obizio'' painted by Romanino and ''Stories of the Virgin and the infancy of Christ'' by Paolo Caylina il Giovane, 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. 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 by Floriano Ferramola and two of the most important pieces of the treasure of the ancient monastery: the Brescia 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). *''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 the ''Martinengo Mausoleum'', a masterpiece of the Renaissance sculpture in Lombardy. *''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 the ''Museo di Santa Giulia'' and is used as a conference room. In the former vegetable garden of this monastery have been discovered a group of Roman domus called ''Domus dell'Ortaglia'' that were used between the 1st and 4th centuries and they are some of the best preserved domus in northern Italy.


Other sights

*''
Piazza della Loggia Piazza della Loggia, or more simply Piazza Loggia, also known as Piazza Grande or Piazza Vecchia (''Piàsa dela Lògia'' or ''Piàsa ècia'' in Brescian, Brescian dialect), is one of the Italian city Brescia's main squares, a symbolic place of t ...
'', an example of
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
''piazza'', with the eponymous ''Palazzo della Loggia'' (current Town Hall). Construction began in 1492 under the direction of Filippo de' Grassi and it was completed only in the 16th century by Jacopo Sansovino, Sansovino and Palladio. Luigi Vanvitelli, Vanvitelli designed the upper room of the palace (1769). On the south side of the square are two 15th–16th century ''Monti di Pietà'' (Christian lending houses). Their façades are embedded with ancient Roman tombstones, one of oldest antique lapidary displays in Italy. At the centre of the east side of the square stands the ''Torre dell'Orologio, Brescia, Torre 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 the Piazza della Loggia bombing, terrorist bombing. *''Old Cathedral, Brescia, Duomo Vecchio'': the ''Old Cathedral,'' also known as ''La Rotonda,'' is a circular 11th-century Romanesque architecture, Romanesque church. The main structure, with rustic exteriors, was built atop ruins of an earlier basilica. Near the entrance is the pink marble sarcophagus of Berardo Maggi, while in the presbytery is the entrance to the crypt of San Filastrio. The structure houses masterworks by Alessandro Bonvicino (''il Moretto''); Girolamo Romanino, Palma il Giovane, Francesco Maffei, and others. *''New Cathedral, Brescia, Duomo Nuovo'': construction of the ''New 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 by Pietro Maria Bagnadore. The interior has major frescoes by Il Moretto. The high altarpiece is by Jacopo Zoboli (1735). The main attraction is the ''Ark of Sts Apollonius and Filastrius'' (1510). *''Broletto, Brescia, 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" (the Eastern Lombard, Lombard: ''Tòr del Pégol''), whose bells were once used to summon the citizens in moments of distress. *''Piazza della Vittoria'', an example of Italian Art Déco architecture. It was built between 1927 and 1932 by architect Marcello Piacentini through the demolition of part of the medieval old town and it has an L-shape. On the inside corner right there is the Torrione INA, the first skyscraper built in Italy. In the north background there is the large ''Palazzo delle poste'' ("Post Office building"), with its ocher-white two-tone upholstery. The ''Torre 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 mentioned ''Capitolium'', ''republican sanctuary'' and ''Roman 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 the ''curia'', 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 early Iron Age to the present day, concentrating in a single place 3,000 years of urban history of Brescia. *''Santa Maria dei Miracoli (Brescia), Santa Maria dei Miracoli'': (1488–1523) church with fine façade by Giovanni Antonio Amadeo, decorated with bas-reliefs and a Renaissance ''peristilium''. It is considered a jewel of Renaissance sculpture in Lombardy. *''San Francesco, Brescia, San Francesco'': Romanesque-Gothic church and cloisters. *''Castle of Brescia'': also known as ''Falcone 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. 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; the ''Risorgimento Museum'', dedicated to the Italian independence wars of the 19th century; an exhibition of model railroads; and an astronomical observatory. *''Santi Nazaro e Celso (Brescia), Santi Nazaro e Celso'': church housing the Averoldi Polyptych by Titian. *''Santi Faustino e Giovita (Brescia), San Faustino e Giovita'': church also known as ''San Faustino Maggiore''. The interior has a fresco depicting ''Apotheosis of Sts Faustino, Jovita, Benedict and Scholastica'' by Giandomenico Tiepolo. *''Santa Maria delle Grazie, Brescia, 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, Brescia, San Giuseppe'': 16th-century church houses frescoes and decoration including fourteen ''Stations of the Cross of St. Joseph'' (1713) by Giovanni Antonio Capello. The church houses the tombs of Gasparo da Salò, one of the inventors of the modern violin and Benedetto Marcello, Baroque musician. Inside it, there is one of the oldest Organ (music), organs in the world. *''San Clemente (Brescia), San Clemente'': church with paintings by Bonvicino. *''Torre della Pallata, Brescia, 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. *''San Marco Evangelista, Brescia, San Marco Evangelista'': a small 13th-century Romanesque-style church. *''San Mattia alle Grazie'': a suppressed 13th-century former church. *''Monumental cemetery of Brescia, Monumental Cemetery'': also known as ''Vantiniano'', is the largest cemetery in Brescia, designed around 1813 by Rodolfo Vantini. It is the first monumental cemetery built in Italy and at its centre stands the ''Lighthouse of Brescia'' (60 meters tall) which has inspired the architect Heinrich Strack for the design of the Berlin Victory Column. *''Teatro Grande'': opera house renovated several times between the mid-17th and mid-19th century. The name ''Grande'' ("Big") is derived from the former name ''Il Grande'' ("The Great") in honour of
Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
. The horseshoe-shaped auditorium is richly decorated and has five galleries. Since 1912, the theatre is a national monument. *''Biblioteca Queriniana'', containing rare early manuscripts, including the Codex Brixianus, a 14th-century manuscript of Dante, and some rare incunabula. *''Brescia Due'': a Central business district, business district located in the southern part of the city. *''Crystal Palace, Brescia, Crystal Palace'': as a part of Brescia Due, is the tallest habitable structure of the city with a height of , 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. The city has no fewer than seventy-two public fountains. The stone quarries of Botticino, east of Brescia, supplied marble for the Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II in Rome.


Museums

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. *''Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo'', the municipal art gallery; it hosts works of the painters of the Renaissance Brescian school, Girolamo Romanino, Alessandro Bonvicino and Giovanni Battista Moroni. After an extensive remodeling the museum reopened in 2018 with a refreshed interior showcasing the art hung on contemporary fabric covered walls. *''Museo della Mille Miglia'' ("Mille Miglia Museum"). Situated inside the former Monastery of S. Eufemia, the museum celebrates the history of the 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. *''Museo Diocesano di Brescia'' ("Diocesan museum of Brescia, Italy, 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 of vestments in Italy. *''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. *''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. *''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 of choirbooks and musical scores. *''Collezione Paolo VI – arte contemporanea'' ("Paul VI Collection – Contemporary Art"). It is located in Concesio, on the northern outskirts of Brescia, and hosts the contemporary art collection of Pope Paul VI, composed of about 7,000 works of many famous artists, including Matisse, Chagall, Picasso, Dalí and others. It was opened on 8 November 2009, inaugurated by Pope Benedict XVI. 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") * ''Museo Piamarta – Istituto Artigianeli'' * ''Casa Museo Paolo VI di Concesio''


Parks

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 , or per inhabitant, while agricultural zones cover an area of . The largest park of Brescia is ''Parco delle Colline di Brescia'' ("Brescia Hills Park") that has a total surface of , of which fall within the city limits. 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 are Ostrya carpinifolia, hop-hornbeam, downy oak, sweet chestnut, manna ash, but there is also the presence of Mediterranean species such as Pistacia terebinthus, terebinth, tree heath, bay laurel and Quercus ilex, holm oak. The fauna of the park includes foxes, European badgers, wild boars and other mammals, while the most common birds are European robin, robins, common blackbird, blackbirds, blackcaps and Eurasian wren, wrens. In 2018 another public park known as ''Parco 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 . Other parks are scattered throughout the city, such as ''Parco del Castello'' ("Castle Park"), ''Parco Tarello'', ''Parco Mazzolari'', ''Parco Ducos'' and ''Campo di Marte''.


Education

As 2019, in Brescia there are 51 primary schools, of which 42 public and 9 private. There are also 29 Secondary education in Italy, lower secondary schools, of which 21 public and 8 private. Referring to Secondary education in Italy, upper secondary schools, in Brescia there are 53 schools, of which 20 are private and 33 are public. Among them there are 3 Liceo classico, classic lyceums and 13 Liceo scientifico, scientific lyceums. Brescia has two universities: * University of Brescia is a public university founded in 1982 and ranked among the Top 700 universities worldwide. It is divided into 4 faculties: Economics, Engineering, Law, Medicine and Surgery. * Catholic University of Brescia, founded in 1968, is a satellite campus of the Università 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) and ''Accademia di Belle Arti SantaGiulia'') and a conservatory of music (''Conservatorio Luca Marenzio'').


Healthcare

Brescia is an important medical centre. The main hospital of the city is ''Spedali Civili di Brescia'', which has 2,180 beds and an employed staff of 6,175. It was founded in 1427 and is considered the second best hospital in Italy. Other hospitals are located in the city: ''Fondazione Poliambulanza'', ''Casa di Cura S. Camillo'', ''Istituto Clinico S. Anna'' and ''Istituto Clinico Città di Brescia''.


Economy

The city is at the centre of the third largest Italian industrial area. The local Confindustria, the AIB – Associazione Industriale Bresciana (Industrial Association of Brescia), was the first industry association founded in Italy in 1897. The Brescian companies are typically a small or medium-sized, often family-run, ranging from the food to the engineering industry.


Agriculture

The viticulture is the most important agricultural sector of the Brescian food system. The municipality of Brescia is part of the production areas of five different wines: a DOCG wine, i.e. the ''
Franciacorta Franciacorta () is a historical region in the Province of Brescia, Lombardy, Italy, with a population of around 158,249. It is known for its wine production and includes world-famous producers such as Berlucchi, Bellavista and Ca' del Bosco. Th ...
'', three Denominazione di origine controllata, DOC wines (''Botticino'', ''Cellatica'' and ''Curtefranca'') and an Indicazione geografica tipica, IGT wine (''Ronchi di Brescia''). In addition, in its old town, along the northern slope of the Cidneo Hill, there is the largest urban vineyard in Europe, characterized by the cultivation of ''Invernenga'', a local white grape variety present in Brescia since Roman times. Another very important sector is the production of olive oil, especially in the nearby area of Lake Garda. The European Union has recorded as Geographical indications and traditional specialities in the European Union, PDO two typologies of extra virgin olive oils and they are ''Garda'' and ''Laghi lombardi''. Brescia is also the homeland of Italian
caviar Caviar or caviare is a food consisting of salt-cured roe of the family Acipenseridae. Caviar is considered a delicacy and is eaten as a garnish or spread. Traditionally, the term caviar refers only to roe from wild sturgeon in the Caspi ...
. In Calvisano, about south of the city centre, is located the world's largest sturgeons farm that produces annually of caviar exported all over the world.


Industry and services

The main industrial activities of Brescia are those mechanical, specialized in the production and distribution of machine tools. Also important is the production of motor vehicle, represented by the Officine Meccaniche, OM, which is the manufacturer of Iveco trucks, and the production of weapons, among which the Fausti,
Beretta Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta (; "Pietro Beretta Weapons Factory") is a privately held Italian firearms manufacturing company operating in several countries. Its firearms are used worldwide for various civilian, law enforcement, and military p ...
, Fabarm and
Perazzi Perazzi is a manufacturer of precision shotguns from Brescia, Italy. The company sells hunting and sporting models of shotguns noted for their removable trigger groups, high quality, and high prices (US$7,500–$440,000). Its founder is Daniele ...
. 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 of cutlery and faucets, along with the textile, footwear and clothing, as well as the production of building materials and bricks. 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 and General Confederation of Italian Industry, Confindustria in 2015, Brescia is the province with the highest value added by industry in Europe. Brescia hosts the headquarters of several industry groups, including the Lucchini Group, the Feralpi and the Camozzi Group. Brescia is also home to the
A2A A2A S.p.A. is an Italian company, organised as a ''società per azioni'', that generates, distributes, and markets renewable energy, electricity, gas, integrated water supply, and waste management services. The company has significant presence i ...
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. The UBI Banca Group, fourth largest banking group in Italy, has several division headquarters in the city.


Tourism

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 the
Lake Garda Lake Garda (, , or , ; ; ) is the largest lake in Italy. It is a popular holiday location in northern Italy, between Brescia and Milan to the west, and Verona and Venice to the east. The lake cuts into the edge of the Eastern Alps, Italian Alp ...
, the Val Camonica and the
Lake Iseo Lake Iseo or Iseo lake ( ; ; ), also known as Sebino (; ), is the fourth largest lake in Lombardy, Italy, fed by the Oglio River. It is in the north of the country in the Val Camonica area, near the cities of Brescia and Bergamo. The lake ...
) 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 to over 280,000 in 2013. Additionally, Brescia is close to important tourist destinations (
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
can be directly reached in 45 minutes by train, Venice and Florence in about 2 hours) and is one of the cheapest cities in Italy in terms of hotel stays. For these reasons, tourists often use Brescia as a base to explore the surrounding places.


Transport

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 including bike sharing and carsharing systems. Since 2004 in the city center of Brescia is active a traffic restricted zone or ZTL (). 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, promoting sustainable mobility and public transport, and decreasing the existing levels of smog that have become unsustainable from the point of view of public health.


Brescia Metro

The Brescia Metro is a rapid transit network that opened on 2 March 2013. The network comprises one line, long, with 17 stations between ''Buffalora'' and ''Prealpino'', 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 the Lombardy, Region. The international public bid for the first phase of the project was announced in 2000. The winning proposal was from a group of companies comprising Ansaldo STS, AnsaldoBreda, Astaldi and Acciona, with a system similar to that of the Copenhagen metro. A €575 million contract was awarded to a consortium led by Ansaldo STS in April 2003. Work started in January 2004, but archaeological finds caused delays and required station redesigns.


Planned tram network

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 by Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (Italy), Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Trasport for 422 milions of euro. The city council approved the definitive project on 24 June 2024.


Rail

Brescia has three railway stations. The Brescia railway station, main station, which opened in 1854, is located on the Milan-Venice railway and is the starting point for the Brescia–Iseo–Edolo railway, Brescia-Iseo-Edolo, Brescia–Cremona railway, Brescia-Cremona, Brescia–Parma railway, Brescia-Parma and Bergamo–Brescia railway, Bergamo–Brescia rail lines. The station has 15 platforms and is used by about 20 million passengers per year. Other railway stations are ''Borgo San Giovanni'' (a lesser station that is located on the Brescia-Iseo-Edolo railway) and ''Brescia Scalo'', with no passenger service and used as a freight station. From Brescia, high speed trains connect to
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
, Rome, Naples, Turin, Bologna, Florence and Venice; 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).


Roads

Brescia is connected with the rest of northern Italy by three motorways: * Autostrada A4 (Italy), A4, that is the main axis connecting the city with the east and the west of the country, to cities such as Milan, Turin, Venice and Trieste; * Autostrada A21 (Italy), A21, which connects Brescia to Turin with a more southern route than A4; * A35, which connects Brescia to Milan and the Linate Airport with a faster route than A4.


Airports

Brescia is served by the following airports: * Brescia Airport, located southeast of the city * Bergamo Orio al Serio Airport, located northwest of Brescia * Verona Villafranca Airport, located southeast of Brescia * Milan Linate Airport, located west of Brescia * Malpensa Airport, located northwest of Brescia


Pollution

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, which estimates the death rate associated with fine Particulates, particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen 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.


Sports

Brescia was the starting and end point of the historical car race
Mille Miglia The Mille Miglia (, ''Thousand Miles'') was an open-road, motorsport Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race established in 1927 by the young Counts :it:Franco Mazzotti, Francesco Mazzotti and Aymo Maggi. It took place in Italy 24 times f ...
that took place annually in May until 1957 on a Brescia-Rome-Brescia itinerary, and also the now defunct Coppa Florio, one of the first ever sport motor races. The Mille Miglia tradition is now kept alive by the "Historic Mille Miglia", 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 regular roads 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, including Rowan Atkinson, Daniel Day Lewis, Jeremy Irons, Jay Leno, Brian Johnson, Elliot Gleave, David Gandy, Jodie Kidd, Yasmin Le Bon and others. Brescia is also the home of the Brescia Calcio football club and the Rugby Leonessa 1928. Since 1984, the Schermabrescia fencing club is active. Brescia born foil-fencer Andrea Cassarà won the gold medal at the 2011 World Fencing Championships. Brescia is the home of the Basket Brescia Leonessa basketball club. Leonessa has its home arena in the new PalaLeonessa, inaugurated in 2018, with a capacity of 5,200.


People

* Marcus Nonius Macrinus (fl.152–71), Roman general and consul to Emperor Marcus Aurelius *
Rothari Rothari (or Rothair) ( 606 – 652), of the house of Arodus, was king of the Lombards from 636 to 652; previously he had been duke of Brescia. He succeeded Arioald, who was an Arian like himself, and was one of the most energetic of Lombard ki ...
or Rotari (–652), King of the
Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...
*
Rodoald Rodoald (or ''Rodwald''), ( 630 – 653) was a Lombard king of Italy, who succeeded his father Rothari on the throne in 652. He was said to be lecherous and he was assassinated after a reign of just six months in 653 by the husband of one of his ...
or Rodoaldo (–653), King of the Lombards *
Desiderius Desiderius, also known as Daufer or Dauferius (born – died ), was king of the Lombards in northern Italy, ruling from 756 to 774. The Frankish king of renown, Charlemagne, married Desiderius's daughter and subsequently conquered his realm. De ...
(before 756–), King of the Lombards * Louis II, Holy Roman Emperor (825–875), Frankish emperor and King of Italy *
Arnold of Brescia Arnold of Brescia ( 1090 – June 1155), also known as Arnaldus (), was an Italian canon regular from Lombardy, who called on the Church to renounce property-ownership and participated in the failed Commune of Rome of 1144–1193. He is considere ...
(1090–1155), dissident monk * Albertanus of Brescia (1195–1251), Latin author * Vincenzo Capirola (1474–after 1548), composer * Vincenzo Foppa (–), painter * Laura Cereta (1469–1499), humanist author * Saint Angela Merici (1474–1540), founded the Order of Ursulines in Brescia in 1535 * Girolamo Savoldo (–after 1548), painter * Veronica Gambara (1485–1550), poet and stateswoman * Girolamo Romani, also known as "Romanino" (–), painter * :it:Bartolomeo Beretta, Bartolomeo Beretta (1490–1565), gunsmith and founder of the
Beretta Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta (; "Pietro Beretta Weapons Factory") is a privately held Italian firearms manufacturing company operating in several countries. Its firearms are used worldwide for various civilian, law enforcement, and military p ...
firearm company * Alessandro Bonvicino/Buonvicino, commonly known as "Moretto/Il Morretto da Brescia" (–1554), painter * Niccolò Fontana Tartaglia (1499–1557), mathematician * Juan Pablos, Giovanni Paoli (–1560/1), brought the printing press to the New World in Mexico City * Gasparo da Salò, (1540–1609), pioneer of violin making * Giuliano Paratico (–), musician & composer * Luca Marenzio/Marentio (1553/4–1599), composer * Benedetto Castelli (1578–1643), mathematician and expert in hydraulics * Giulio Alenio (1582–1649), Jesuit missionary called the "Confucius from the West" * Giovanni Battista Fontana (composer), Giovanni Battista Fontana (1589–1630), composer * Biagio Marini (1594–1663), composer * Dionisio Boldo (fl.1604), painter * Francesco Lana de Terzi (1631–1687), aeronautics and braille pioneer * Carlo Bacchiocco, 17th-century painter with work in Brescia * Paris Francesco Alghisi (1666–1733), composer * Giovanni Bassignani (1669–1717), architect & engineer * Pietro Gnocchi (1689–1775), eccentric polymath and composer * Gaetano Crivelli (1768–1836), opera singer * Giacomo Rossetti (1807–1882), painter and photographer * Saint Maria Crocifissa di Rosa (1813–1855), who founded the Handmaids of Charity order of nuns in Brescia in 1840 * Enrico Crivelli (1820–1870), opera singer and son of Gaetano Crivelli * Giuseppe Zanardelli (1826–1903), jurist, politician, prime minister of the Kingdom of Italy (1901–1903) * Saint Giovanni Battista Piamarta (1841–1913), priest and educator, founder of the Congregation of the Holy Family of Nazareth * 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 * Pope Paul VI (1897–1978), born nearby in Concesio as Giovanni Battista Montini * Aymo Maggi (1903–1961), racing driver * Franco Comotti (1906–1963), racing driver * Guglielmo Achille Cavellini (1914–1990), art collector and artist * Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (1920–1995), pianist of the 20th century * Lento Goffi (1923-2008), poet, literary critic and journalist, died in Brescia * Remo Bertoni (footballer), Remo Bertoni (1929–1993), football player * Emanuele Severino (1929–2020), philosopher and composer * Giacomo Agostini (born 1942), Grand Prix motorcycle racer and World Champion 1964–1977 * Carlo Giannini (1948–2004), econometrician and mathematical economist * Maurizio Venturi (born 1957), football player and manager * Giuseppe Baresi (born 1958), football player * Franco Baresi (born 1960), football player * Sergio Scariolo (born 1961), basketball coach * Claudio Langes (born 1961), racing driver * Vittorio Colao (born 1961), businessman * Alessandro Zampedri (born 1969), racing driver * Riccardo Frizza (born 1971), conductor * Christian Pescatori (born 1971), racing driver * Manuel Belleri (born 1977), football player * Marco Cassetti (born 1977), football player * Andrea Pirlo (born 1979), football player * Daniele Bonera (born 1981), football player * L'Aura (born 1984), singer-songwriter * Andrea Cassarà (born 1984), world champion fencer * Nino Bertasio (born 1988), professional golfer * Federico Colli (born 1988), classical pianist * Vanessa Ferrari (born 1990), gymnast * VINAI (born 1990/1994), DJs and EDM producers * Alberto Cerqui (born 1992), racing driver * Marcell Jacobs (born 1994), athlete * Davide Calabria (born 1996), football player * Vittoria Ceretti (born 1998), model * Tommaso Mosca (born 2000), racing driver * Blanco (singer), Riccardo "Blanco" Fabbriconi (born 2003), singer and rapper, Italian representative at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022


International relations

In Brazil there is a town called Nova Bréscia. This name was given by its first citizens, who were from Brescia.


Twin towns – sister cities

Brescia is Sister city, twinned with: * Darmstadt, Germany (1991) * Logroño, Spain (2006) * Bethlehem, Palestine (2007) * Troyes, France (2016) * Kaunas, Lithuania (2022)


Consulates

Brescia is home to the following Consul (representative)#Consulates and embassies, consulates: * * * * *


Gallery

File:Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie interno Brescia.jpg, Interior view of the Santa Maria delle Grazie, Brescia, ''Santa Maria delle Grazie'' church File:Santuario di Santa Maria delle Grazie interno Brescia.jpg, Internal view of the ''Santuario di Santa Maria delle Grazie'' church File:Santo Corpo di Cristo church interior anteporta Brescia.jpg, Internal view of the ''Santissimo Corpo di Cristo'' church File:San Barnaba facciata Brescia.jpg, Former ''San Barnaba'' church File:Chiesa di San Faustino in Riposo esterno est Brescia.jpg, ''San Faustino in Riposo'' church File:Chiesa di San Marco Evangelista facciata Brescia.jpg, ''San Marco Evangelista'' church File:Tomba del cane lato Nord Brescia.jpg, Bonomini Tomb also known as the Dog's Tomb File:Palazzo Maggi-Gambara al Fontanone Brescia.jpg, Maggi-Gambara Palace File:Palazzo Bertolotti Brescia.jpg, Bertolotti Palace File:Palazzo Beretta in Piazza del Mercato Brescia.jpg, Beretta Palace File:Palazzo Martinengo Palatini in Piazza Mercato Brescia 2020.jpg, Martinengo Palace File:Duomo vecchio e duomo nuovo notturna Brescia.jpg, ''Piazza Duomo'' by night File:Brescia Castello fortificazioni ingresso 500esco.jpg, The Castle's main entrance File:Brescia, Province of Brescia, Italy - panoramio (8).jpg, Street in the old city center File:Brescia, Province of Brescia, Italy - panoramio (62).jpg, Roman ruins File:Teatro Romano da est Brescia.jpg, Roman Theatre section File:Corso Zanardelli e Teatro Grande Brescia.jpg, ''Corso Zanardelli'' and ''Teatro Grande'' main entrance File:Palazzo Bruni Conter monumento Tartaglia in Brescia.jpg, Bruni Conter Palace and Niccolò Tartaglia statue File:Torre d'Ercole facciata sud Brescia.jpg, ''Torre d'Ercole'' File:Brescia Via Barricate & Duomo nuovo.jpg, Steps in the old town File:Brescia Via X Giornate Arkaden 7.jpg, Arcades


Fountains

For many years Brescia has been considered a "city of water" due to the presence of many canals and natural waterways, as the French author Paul 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". File:Brescia, Province of Brescia, Italy - panoramio (91).jpg, Medieval fountain File:Brescia, Province of Brescia, Italy - panoramio (60).jpg, Tagliaferri fountain File:Neptune fountain Palazzo Bruni Conter Brescia.jpg, Neptune fountain File:Brescia statua di Minerva del Cignaroli in piazza Duomo.jpg, Minerva fountain File:Fontana della Pallata Brescia.jpg, Pallata fountain File:Fontana in piazza Paolo VI Brescia armata Callegari.jpg, Armed Brescia fountain File:2017-03 Brescia Mattes Pana (52).JPG, Private fountain File:Brescia via Musei fontana.jpg, Private fountain File:Brescia fontana del Vescovado.jpg, Vescovado fountain


Cultural references


Astronomy

The 521 Brixia planetoid is named after the city.


See also

* Roman Catholic Diocese of Brescia, Bishopric of Brescia * University of Brescia * Gaifami Palace


References and sources

; References ; Sources * *


Bibliography

Brescia 1849 la Compagnia della Stampa Gianluigi Valotti Anno edizione: 2018


External links


Brescia Tourism official site: useful information, guide destination and hotel, airport

Tourist Office of the City of Brescia

Brescia Museums official site

University of Brescia official site

Catholic University of Brescia
{{Authority control Brescia, Castles in Italy Cities and towns in Lombardy World Heritage Sites in Italy Domini di Terraferma Territories of the Republic of Venice Populated places established in the 2nd millennium BC