Just 40 minutes by train from Milan away lies a city that guards a remarkable historical heritage, yet remains distant from the main tourist crowds. It is Brescia, “The Lioness” of Italy (within the city’s castle you can visit the Museo del Risorgimento Leonessa d’Italia), featured in a recent piece by The Times which calls it a splendid alternative to Italy’s second-largest city. A place where archaeology, art, traditions, and everyday life converge in a historic center rich with squares, churches, and museums.
Brescia, between Roman archaeology, churches and squares
For a long time Brescia has been mainly associated with its industrial identity. In fact, as Cinzia Pasini, founder of the local tour-guide agency Arte Con Noi, points out, the city preserves a historical heritage of great value. The Castle perched on the Cidneo hill is a prime example.
In 2023 Brescia was named Italian Capital of Culture and today represents an ideal destination for a city break to discover a less-known Italy.
The heart of the city is Piazza della Loggia, dominated by the famous 16th‑century astronomical clock, with the copper mechanical figures known as the “fools of the hours.” Not far away opens Piazza Paolo VI, where the city’s two cathedrals stand (the Duomo Nuovo and the Duomo Vecchio). Brescia also surprises with the number of its churches: there are at least sixty within the ancient walls.
Among the numerous churches in the historic center, San Faustino makes for an excellent starting point. Dedicated to one of the city’s patron saints, it houses the frescoes on the altarpiece by Tiepolo and an elegant Botticino marble façade crafted by sculptor Giuseppe Cantone. Santa Maria del Carmine is also worth a visit, where one can admire the Annunciation by Pieter de Witte and a striking Lamentation for the Dead Christ, composed of life-size terracotta figures. A curious detail lies in the floor: a wooden disk marks the presence of the “Antico Fiume” and, by pulling a rope, you can hear the sound of the waters of the Bova River flowing right beneath the church.
Among the most important stops is Brixia, the best-preserved Roman archaeological site in Northern Italy and a UNESCO World Heritage site, where you’ll find the Capitolium and the famous Winged Victory, a bronze statue from the 1st century. Discovered in 1826 and subjected to an important restoration project completed in 2020, it is today once again displayed in its original location. This year marks the 200th anniversary of its discovery.
Not to be missed is also the Museo di Santa Giulia, housed in the ancient Benedictine women’s monastery built in 753 A.D. by the Lombard king Desiderius. Its more than 14,000 square meters tell the city’s history through Roman buildings, the Basilica di San Salvatore, and the Oratorio di Santa Maria in Solario from the twelfth century, where the monastery’s treasure was kept.
A City to Live
Brescia is not merely a cultural destination. The Carmine district, once considered problematic, is now in full revival thanks to shops and artisan workshops and the Make in Brescia project, which offers participation in various workshops and a close look at the work of ceramists and restorers.
On Saturday mornings, the market that unfolds around Piazza della Loggia gives back an authentic image of the city, with cheeses, cured meats, fruit, vegetables, pasta, and traditional products. At mealtime you can sample Brescia’s local specialties, while for an aperitif there’s the pirlo, prepared with white wine and Campari.
Among monuments, museums, shops, and local flavors, Brescia thus preserves an authentic and surprisingly discreet character: precisely the combination that The Times regards as its strength and that makes it one of the most interesting alternatives to Milan.
