Clockwise from top: night view of Brescia with the New Cathedral and the Tower of Pégol (right); castle of Brescia; Capitolium (UNESCO Heritage); panorama of Brescia; Old Cathedral; and Piazza della Loggia
Flag
Coat of arms
Nicknames:
Leonessa d'Italia ("Lioness of Italy")
La città della Mille Miglia ("The City of the Mille Miglia")
Latin: Brixia; Venetian: Bressa) is a city and comune (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo. With a population of more than 200,000, it is the second largest city in Lombardy and the fourth largest in northwest Italy. The urban area of Brescia extends beyond the administrative city limits and has a population of 672,822,[3] while over 1.5 million people live in its metropolitan area.[3] The city is the administrative capital of the Province of Brescia
, one of the largest in Italy, with over 1,200,000 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
Brescia is considered to be an important industrial city.[7] 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, automotive manufacturer OMR, steel producers Lucchini and Alfa Acciai, machine tools producers Camozzi and Lonati, firearms manufacturers Fausti, Beretta and Perazzi, gas equipment manufacturers Sabaf and Cavagna, etc.
Brescia is home to the prestigious Mille Miglia classic car race that starts and ends in the town.
In the arts, it was nicknamed Leonessa d'Italia ("The Lioness of Italy") by
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's 1822 play Adelchi
.
The province is known for being the production area of the Franciacorta sparkling wine, as well as the main source of Italian-produced caviar. Brescia with her territory was the "European Region of Gastronomy" in 2017 and the "Italian Capital of Culture" with Bergamo in 2023.[8]
Various myths relate to the founding of Brescia: one assigns it to
Padan Plain in the late Bronze Age. Colle Cidneo (Cidnus's Hill) was named after that version, and it is the site of the medieval castle. This myth seems to have a grain of truth, because recent archaeological excavations have unearthed remains of a settlement dating back to 1,200 BC that scholars presume to have been built and inhabited by Ligures peoples.[10][11] Others scholars[who?] attribute[why?] the founding of Brescia to the Etruscans.[citation needed
Byzantines by the Lombards, 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 and Rodoald, and Alachis II, a fervent anti-Catholic, who was killed in battle at Cornate d'Adda in 688. The last king of the Lombards, Desiderius
, also held the title Duke of Brescia.
In 774,
free commune around the early 12th century. Subsequently, it expanded into the nearby countryside, first at the expense of the local landholders, and later against the neighbouring communes, notably Bergamo and Cremona. 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
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
Ghibelline party. In 1258 the city fell into the hands of Ezzelino da Romano
. Thenceforward Brescia and the province were a Venetian possession, only disrupted by the French conquest in 1512.
Early Modern era
Map of Brescia in the early 18th centuryThe dome of the New Cathedral
Brescia has had a major role in the
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.[citation needed
]
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.[citation needed]
The "Sack of Brescia" took place on 18 February 1512, during the
landsknechts then proceeded to thoroughly sack the city, massacring thousands of civilians over the next five days. Following this, the city of Bergamo paid some 60,000 ducats to the French to avoid a similar fate.[citation needed
]
The French occupied Brescia until 1520, when Venetian rule resumed. Thereafter, Brescia shared the fortunes of the Venetian republic
In 1769, in the Brescia explosion, the city was devastated when the Bastion of San Nazaro was struck by lightning. The resulting fire ignited 90,000 kg (90 t; 200,000 lb; 99 short tons) of gunpowder stored there, causing a massive explosion which destroyed one-sixth of the Brescia and killed 3,000 people.[citation needed]
Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy 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
.
Brescia revolted in
Italian unification
) 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 city was awarded a gold medal for its resistance against Fascism in World War II.
Brescia is located in the northwestern section of the Po Valley, at the foot of the Brescian Prealps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with the Lake Iseo to the west and the Lake Garda to the east (but it has also other important lakes like Idro and Moro[19]). The southern area of the city is flat, while towards the north the territory becomes hilly. The city's lowest point is 104 metres (341 ft) above sea level, the highest point is Monte Maddalena at 874 metres (2,867 ft), while the centre of the town is 149 metres (489 ft). The administrative comune covers a total area of 90.3 square kilometres (34.9 sq mi).
Modern Brescia has a central area focused on residential and tertiary activities. Around the city proper, lies a vast urban agglomeration with over 600,000 inhabitants that expands mainly to the north, to the west and to the east, engulfing many communes in a continuous urban landscape.
From left to right: panoramic views of the city from South and from West, panoramic view of the city centre and the business district
Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification, Brescia has a mid-latitude humid subtropical climate (Cfa). Its average annual temperature is 13.7 °C (57 °F): 18.2 °C (65 °F) during the day and 9.1 °C (48 °F) at night. The warmest months are June, July, and August, with high temperatures from 27.8 to 30.3 °C (82 to 87 °F). The coldest are December, January, and February, with low temperatures from −1.5 to 0.6 °C (29 to 33 °F).
Winter is moderately cold, but not harsh, with some snow, mainly occurs from December through February, but snow cover does not usually remain for long. Summer can be sultry, when humidity levels are high and peak temperatures can reach 35 °C (95 °F). Spring and autumn are generally pleasant, with temperatures ranging between 10 and 20 °C (50 and 68 °F).
The relative humidity is high throughout the year, especially in winter when it causes fog, mainly from dusk until late morning, although the phenomenon has become increasingly less frequent in recent years.
Precipitation is spread evenly throughout the year. The driest month is December, with precipitation of 54.6 mm (2.15 in), while the wettest month is May, with 104.9 mm (4.13 in) of rain.
Climate data for Brescia (Brescia Ghedi Air Base) (1991–2020 normals, extremes extremes 1951–present)
Source 1: Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale[20]
Source 2: Servizio Meteorologico (humidity 1961–1990)[21][22][23]
Demographics
Population census
Year
Pop.
±%
1861
56,878
—
1871
58,539
+2.9%
1881
62,899
+7.4%
1901
73,033
+16.1%
1911
87,210
+19.4%
1921
103,636
+18.8%
1931
114,607
+10.6%
1936
123,332
+7.6%
Year
Pop.
±%
1951
142,059
+15.2%
1961
172,744
+21.6%
1971
210,047
+21.6%
1981
206,661
−1.6%
1991
194,502
−5.9%
2001
187,561
−3.6%
2011
189,902
+1.2%
2021
197,304
+3.9%
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on
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%.[25] 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.
Muslim
followers.
In 2006 there were about 1,000 people of Pakistani origins living in Brescia.[28]
Palazzo della Loggia, Brescia City HallPalazzo Broletto, seat of the Province and of the Prefecture of Brescia
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
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 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 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
, 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
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:
Zona
Population 31 December 2017
Map
Historical Centre
41,856
North
41,427
West
37,082
South
45,360
East
29,844
Total
196,305
Historical Centre
1 Brescia Antica
2 Borgo Trento
3 Porta Milano
4 Centro Storico Nord
14 Porta Venezia
27 Centro Storico Sud
30 Crocifissa di Rosa
North
11 Mompiano
15 Villaggio Prealpino
17 San Bartolomeo
22 Casazza
28 Sant'Eustacchio
29 San Rocchino
West
5 Chiusure
7 Fiumicello
21 Urago Mella
23 Villaggio Badia
25 Villaggio Violino
26 Primo Maggio
South
6 Don Bosco
8 Folzano
9 Fornaci
10 Lamarmora
12 Porta Cremona-Volta
20 Chiesanuova
24 Villaggio Sereno
East
13 Buffalora
16 Caionvico
18 Sant'Eufemia della Fonte
19 San Polo Case
31 San Polo Cimabue
32 Sanpolino
33 San Polo Parco
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
Monumental area with the monastic complex of San Salvatore-Santa Giulia
Longobards in Italy. Places of the Power (568–774 A.D.)
This is the archaeological complex where there are the best-preserved Roman public buildings in the northern Italy,[4][5] 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
frescoes, which from a stylistic point of view and state of preservation are comparable to those of Pompeii.[29]
Since the spring of 2015, the western room has opened to the public, while the rest of the building is still undergoing archaeological excavation and restoration.
The primary temple in the city, it was dedicated to the cult of 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 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 era and altered in the 3rd century. With its 86 m (282 ft) diameter, is one of the largest 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.
The interior of the church of Santa Maria in Solario with the Cross of DesideriusDomus dell'Ortaglia, remains of a group of ancient Roman domus
The monastic complex of San Salvatore-Santa Giulia is an outstanding architectural palimpsest,[4][30] today transformed into the Museo di Santa Giulia, which contains about 11,000 works of art and archaeological finds.[31] During the period of Longobard domination, Princess Anselperga, daughter of King Desiderius, 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.[32] 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,[33] 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.[33] 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).[34]
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.[35]
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.[33]
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
Palazzo Monte di Pietà in Piazza della Loggia and the Torre dell'Orologio with the astronomical clock
The two cathedrals of Brescia: the Old (at right) and the New (at left)The church of San Faustino and Giovita
Palladio. 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.[36] At the centre of the east side of the square stands the 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 terrorist bombing
: 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.[39]
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.[40]
peristilium. It is considered a jewel of Renaissance sculpture in Lombardy.[41]
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.[42] 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.
Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie: basilica church built between the 16th and 17th centuries with Baroque frescoes and stucco, and a work of Il Moretto.
San Giuseppe: 16th-century church houses frescoes and decoration including 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 organs in the world.[43]
San Clemente
: church with paintings by Bonvicino.
Torre della Pallata
: massive tower built in 1254 as part of the medieval walls. In the 15th century, the clock, merlons, and turret added. The fountain on the western side was designed in 1597 by Bagnadore.
San Giovanni: church with a refectory painted jointly by il Moretto and il Romanino.
Monumental Cemetery: also known as Vantiniano, is the largest cemetery in Brescia, designed around 1813 by Rodolfo Vantini. It is the first monumental cemetery built in Italy[44] 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.[45]
Napoleon Bonaparte. The horseshoe-shaped auditorium is richly decorated and has five galleries. Since 1912, the theatre is a national monument.[46]
Biblioteca Queriniana, containing rare early manuscripts, including the
Crystal Palace: as a part of Brescia Due, is the tallest habitable structure of the city with a height of 110 m (360 ft),[47] 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.[48]
The city has no fewer than seventy-two public fountains.
The stone quarries of
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.
. 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 1,600-kilometre (1,000 mi) car race from Brescia to Rome and back that began in 1927. It shows films, memorabilia, dresses, posters, and a number of classic cars that are periodically replaced by other in case of participation in events.[49]
Museo Diocesano di Brescia (
"Diocesan Museum of Brescia"). It is located in the former Monastery of St. Joseph and houses a permanent collection of sacred artworks, including paintings, illuminated manuscripts, as well as one of the most extensive collections of vestments in Italy.[50]
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.[51]
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.[52]
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
Dalí and others. It was opened on 8 November 2009, inaugurated by Pope Benedict XVI.[53]
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
From left to right: Parco delle Cave, Parco Mazzolari and Parco Ducos in winter
Due to its location in the foothills of the Alps, Brescia has forests close to the city centre. About 80% of its municipal territory is covered by woodlands and farmlands: total amount of public green space is 26.3 square kilometres (10.2 sq mi), or 134 square metres (1,440 sq ft) per inhabitant, while agricultural zones cover an area of 45.6 square kilometres (17.6 sq mi).[54]
The largest park of Brescia is Parco delle Colline di Brescia ("Brescia Hills Park") that has a total surface of 43.09 square kilometres (16.64 sq mi),
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 2 km2 (490 acres).
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
University of Brescia, Economics facultyClassic lyceum "Arnaldo", established in 1797, is one of the oldest and most prominent high schools in Brescia.
As 2019, in Brescia there are 51 primary schools, of which 42 public and 9 private. There are also 29 lower secondary schools, of which 21 public and 8 private.[57]
University of Brescia is a public university founded in 1982 and ranked among the Top 700 universities worldwide.[58] 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.[59] It was founded in 1427 and is considered the second best hospital in Italy.[60] 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.
Confindustria, the AIB – Associazione Industriale Bresciana (Industrial Association of Brescia), was the first industry association founded in Italy in 1897.[62]
The Brescian companies are typically a small or medium-sized, often family-run, ranging from the food to the engineering industry.
Agriculture
Vineyards in the middle of the city with an extension of 4 ha (9.9 acres)
The
DOCG wine, i.e. the Franciacorta,[63] three DOC wines (Botticino,[64]Cellatica[65] and Curtefranca[66]) and an IGT wine (Ronchi di Brescia[67]). In addition, in its old town, along the northern slope of the Cidneo Hill, there is the largest urban vineyard in Europe,[68] characterized by the cultivation of Invernenga, a local white grape variety present in Brescia since Roman times.[69]
Another very important sector is the production of olive oil, especially in the nearby area of Lake Garda. The European Union has recorded as PDO two typologies of extra virgin olive oils and they are Garda and Laghi lombardi.
Brescia is also the homeland of Italian caviar. In Calvisano, about 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of the city centre, is located the world's largest sturgeons farm[70] that produces annually 25 tonnes (25 long tons; 28 short tons) of caviar exported all over the world.[71]
The main industrial activities of Brescia are those mechanical, specialized in the production and distribution of machine tools. Also important is the production of
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 Confindustria in 2015, Brescia is the province with the highest value added by industry in Europe.[72]
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 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
A street in the old town
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, the Val Camonica and the Lake Iseo) have allowed the city to attract an increasing number of visitors. In 10 years, the number of tourists who visited Brescia has almost doubled from 142,556 in 2003[73] to over 280,000 in 2013.[74]
Additionally, Brescia is close to important tourist destinations (Milan 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.[75][76][77] 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
The Brescia Metro is a rapid transit network that opened on 2 March 2013.[78] The network comprises one line, 13.7 kilometres (9 mi) long,[79] with 17 stations[79] 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
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 Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Trasport for 422 milions of euro.[82] The city council approved the definitive project on 24 June 2024.[83]
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.
; 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:
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;
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.
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,[84] which estimates the death rate associated with fine 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.[85]
Sports
Mille Miglia Museum
Brescia was the starting and end point of the historical car race Mille Miglia 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",
Basket Brescia Leonessa basketball club. Leonessa has its home arena in the new PalaLeonessa,[90] inaugurated in 2018, with a capacity of 5,200.[91]
People
The monument representing a lion, the sign on the coat of arms of the city. The monument is also commonly considered a dedication to the "Lioness of Italy", nickname given to the city after the resistance the people of Brescia put in place during the Ten Days of Brescia in 1849 against the Austrians.Monument to La Bella Italia, erected in 1864 in the memory of the Ten Days of BresciaMonument to Arnaldo in the homonymous square, erected in 1882Monument to Giuseppe Garibaldi, erected in 1889
Camillo Golgi, (1843–1926), experimental pathologist, received Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1906 for his studies of the structure of the nervous system
Internal view of the Santuario di Santa Maria delle Grazie church
Internal view of the Santissimo Corpo di Cristo church
Former San Barnaba church
San Faustino in Riposo church
San Marco Evangelista church
Bonomini Tomb also known as the Dog's Tomb
Maggi-Gambara Palace
Bertolotti Palace
Beretta Palace
Martinengo Palace
Piazza Duomo by night
The Castle's main entrance
Street in the old city center
Roman ruins
Roman Theatre section
Corso Zanardelli and Teatro Grande main entrance
Bruni Conter Palace and
Niccolò Tartaglia
statue
Torre d'Ercole
Steps in the old town
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".[99]
^"Storia del Colle Cidneo" [History of the Cidneo Hill]. bresciamusei.com (in Italian). Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
^Greenway, George William (1931). Arnold of Brescia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 23–25.
^Schmitz-Esser, Romedio (2004). "Arnold of Brescia in Exile: April 1139 to December 1143 – His Role as a Reformer, Reviewed". In Napran, Laura (ed.). Exile in the Middle Ages: Selected proceedings from the International Medieval Congress, University of Leeds 8–11 July 2002. Turnhout: Brepols. p. 216.
^"Parte la metro! 2 marzo 2013" [The Metro goes! March 2, 2013] (in Italian). Brescia Mobilitá. 5 February 2013. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
^"Tram arrivato l'ok al finanziamento da 359 milioni". Corriere della Sera - "Brescia" (in Italian). 12 November 2021. p. 5. Davide Bacca (12 November 2021). "Tram, il Governo stanzia 359 milioni. La prima corsa nel marzo del 2029". Giornale di Brescia (in Italian). p. 16. Salvatore Montillo (15 November 2023). "Un assegno di 63 milioni mette il tram sui binari giusti". Giornale di Brescia (in Italian). p. 9.
^Luca Goffi (25 June 2024). "Dal consiglio comunale il sì al tram". Corriere della Sera - "Brescia" (in Italian). p. 4.Nuri Fatolahzadeh (25 June 2024). "Brescia timbra il biglietto del futuro e sale sul tram senza il centrodestra". Giornale di Brescia (in Italian). p. 12.Davide Bacca (7 June 2022). "Il nuovo tram accelera. Il progetto affidato ai francesi di Systra". Giornale di Brescia (in Italian). p. 9.
^"Brescia città d'acqua" [Brescia city of water.]. oltreiltondino.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Brescia". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
.jpg)
,_Mappa_di_Brescia_a_inizio_Settecento.jpg)
_int2.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpeg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.JPG)
