Brescia is a city in the Lombardy region of northern Italy; it is situated in the province of the same name and sits at the foot of the Alps. It is the second largest city in the region, Milan being the first, and it is known as the Lioness of Italy. Its Latin name was Brixia and was an important regional centre since pre-Roman times. The city has a number of very well preserved monuments of Roman and medieval date, as well as the latter castle.
The layout of the old town was rectangular with streets intersecting at right angles, something that came from the Roman times. The area, which is encompassed by the medieval walls, is larger than the Roman town, which now resides in today’s current old town and is its northeastern quarter.
The main sights of this city include the 1492 Piazza della Loggia, which was built in a typical Renaissance style. The old cathedral Duomo Vecchio, also known as La Rotonda, was built in rustic Romanesque style and is striking and eye catching due to its circular shape. The new cathedral, Duomo Nuovo was built in Palladian style, although a shortfall in finances forced the build to be passed onto another architect to complete.
The medieval town hall, Broletto is an impressively large 12th and 13th century building; at the front there is the balcony where city officials addressed the town and the belfry still has the old bells, which were used to call all hands when danger loomed. The monastery of San Salvatore is a fine example of high Middle Ages architecture and is now home to the city museum. The beautiful Romanesque-Gothic style church of St. Francis of Assisi is a definite must see, as is the castle. The castle today houses the Arms Museum, which has a fantastic array of weapons from the Middle Ages; there is the Risorgimento Museum, which is about the wars of independence fought during the 19th century. It is also home to an exhibition of a model railway and an astronomical observatory.
This city has a staggering 72 fountains to visit, numerous churches, such as Church of San Nazario e Celso, which has the Averoldi Polyptych by Titian and the Church of San Clemente, which has numerous paintings by Alessandro Bonvicino (generally known as Moretto). The Biblioteca Queriniana has a very rare manuscript of Dante’s, which dates back to the 14th century; it has a number of other scripts also, along with some incunabula, which are printed books or pamphlets.
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