ITALY TRAVEL, HOTEL, HOLIDAY & ACCOMMODATION GUIDE
HOTELS IN BRESCIA, LOMBARDY

Italy Travel Guide Brescia Featured Hotels Brescia Travel Information Lombardy Region Featured Self-Catering Italian Lakes Self-Catering Accommodation Lake Iseo Italy's Hidden Gem Touring Italy's Lombardy Region

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Brescia (Lombard: Brèsa) is a city in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 190,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan.

The city is the administrative capital of the Province of Brescia, one of the largest in Italy, with about 1,200,000 inhabitants. The ancient city of Brixia, Brescia has been an important regional centre since pre-Roman times and a number of Roman and medieval monuments are preserved, among which is the prominent castle.

The city is at the centre of the third-largest Italian industrial area, concentrating on mechanical and automotive engineering and machine tools. Its companies are typically small or medium- sized enterprises, often with family managements. The financial sector is also a major employer, and the tourist trade benefits from the proximity of Lake Garda, Lake Iseo and the Alps.

The plan of the city is rectangular, and the streets intersect at right angles, a peculiarity handed down from Roman times, though the area enclosed by the medieval walls is larger than that of the Roman town, which occupied the eastern portion of the present one. The Piazza del Foro marks the site of the forum, and the museum on its north side is ensconced in a Corinthian temple with three cellae, by some attributed to Hercules, but more probably the Capitolium of the city, erected by Vespasian in AD 73 (if the inscription really belongs to the building, which was excavated in 1823. The museum houses a famous bronze statue of Victory, found in 1826. Scanty remains of a building on the south side of the forum, called the curia, but which may have been a basilica, and of the theatre, east of the temple, still exist.

Main sights

• Piazza della Loggia, a noteworthy example of Renaissance piazza, with the eponymous loggia (the current Town Hall) built in 1492 by the architect Filippino de' Grassi. On May 28, 1974 the square was the location of a terrorist bombing.
• Duomo Vecchio ("Old Cathedral"), also known as La Rotonda. It is an exteriorly rusticated Romanesque church, striking for its circular shape. The main structure was built in the 11th century on the ruins of an earlier basilica. Near the entrance is the pink Veronese marble sarcophagus of Berardo Maggi, while in the presbitery is the entrance to the crypt of San Filastrio. The structure houses paintings of the Assumption, the Evangelists Luke and Mark, and Feast of the Paschal Lamb , and Eli and the Angel by Alessandro Bonvicino (known as il Moretto); two canvasses by Girolamo Romanino, and other paintings by Palma il Giovane, Francesco Maffei, Bonvicino, and others.
• Duomo Nuovo ("New Cathedral"): Construction on the new cathedral began in 1604 and continued till 1825. While initially a contract was awarded to Palladio, economic shortfalls awarded the project, still completed in a Palladian style, to the young Brescian architect Giovanni Battista Lantana, with decorative projects were directed mainly by Pietro Maria Bagnadore. The facade is mainly owed to the designs Giovanni Battista and Antonio Marchetti, while the cupola was designed by Luigi Cagnola. Interior frescoes including the Marriage, Visitation, and Birth of the Virgin, as well as the Sacrifice of Isaac, were frescoed by Bonvicino. The main attractions is the Arch of Sts. Apollonius and Filastrius (1510).
• The Broletto, formerly the Province Hall. It is a massive building of the 12th and 13th centuries with a lofty tower.
• In Piazza del Foro is the most important array of Roman remains in Lombardy. These include the Capitoline Temple, built by Vespasianus in 73 AD.
• The monastery of San Salvatore (or Santa Giulia), dating from the Lombard age but later renovated several times. It is one of the best example of High Middle Ages architecture in northern Italy.
• Santa Maria dei Miracoli (1488-1523), with a fine façade by Giovanni Antonio Amadeo, decorated with bas-reliefs and a Renaissance peristilium.
• The Romanesque-Gothic church of St. Francis, with a Gothic façade and cloisters.
• The castle, at the north-east angle of the town, commands a fine view.
• Church of San Nazario e Celso, with the Averoldi Polyptych by Titian.
• Church of San Clemente, with numerous painting by Alessandro Bonvicino (generally known as Moretto).
• Church of San Giovanni, with a refectory partly painted by the Moretto and partly by Girolamo Romanino.
• The Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo, the local art gallery hosts works of the painters of the classical Brescian school, Romanino, Bonvicino, and Bonvicino's pupil, Giovanni Battista Moroni.
• Biblioteca Queriniana, containing rare early manuscripts, including a 14th-century manuscript of Dante, and some rare incunabula.
• The city has no less than seventy-two public fountains. The stone quarries of Mazzano, 20 km east of Brescia, supplied marble for the Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II in Rome.

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Lake Iseo Italy's Hidden Gem

Lake Iseo, also called Lake Sebina, is the fourth largest lake in the area of Lombardy Italy. The lake first formed by the Valcamonica glacier, and is 24 kilometers in length and 5 kilometers broad. This width is not always obvious because the largest island of lake in Europe, Monte Insulated, rests in the center of the lake. The lake is situated just north of Brescia and Bergamo, this being reflected in the fact that it is administered on the western bank by the Bergamo district council, and on the east bank by the Brescia district council. The Oglio river, running to the bottom of the Valley Camonica and entering between Lovere and Pisogne, feeds the lake from the north. The Valley Camonica has thermal spas and prehistoric rock carvings. At the southernmost end of the lake you'll find Torbiere, a marsh of peat and now a protected nature reserve. To the south is the valley of Franciacorta, know for producing the best sparkling wine in Italy.

On the Eastern bank, a few kilometers to the top of the lake, is the normal reservation of the pyramids of the zone, a single formation of the pillars created by unequal glacial erosion. The edge of lake of sixty-kilometer of perimeter is dotted with villages and cities, the principal ones which are Iseo, Sarnico, Lovere, Pisogne and Marone. These cities are full with interest historical and cultural, however it is pleasant to stroll along the walk or to be delayed above a drink in a coffee. There is a variety of sports of water available on the lake and fishing is popular with people of the country, tenches being the estimated hook. There is a good choice of the trails of walk and cycle, and in winter there is of north of ski of lake Iseo in the area of Presolano.

On the eastern bank, a few kilometres up from the lake, is the Natural Reserve of the Pyramids of Zone, a unique formation of pillars created by uneven glacial erosion. The sixty-kilometre perimeter lakeside is dotted with villages and towns, the main ones being Iseo, Sarnico, Lovere, Pisogne and Marone. These towns are full of historical and cultural interest, yet it is pleasant to stroll along the promenade or linger over a drink in a café. There are a variety of water sports available on the Lake and fishing is popular with the locals, tench being the prized catch. There is a good selection of walking and cycling trails, and in Winter there is skiing north of Lake Iseo in the Presolano area.

The fact that Lake Iseo is not well known outside Italy and therefore less touristy makes it more appealing. One of its biggest attractions is Monte Isola, the largest inland lake island in Europe, which is easily reached by ferry and with no cars on the island it is very peaceful, making it ideal for walking or cycling. There are also the Pyramids of Zone, where the erosion of glacial deposits has left pinnacles of earth up to ten metres high. On the western lakeshore are the bogns of Castro and Zorzino, sheets of limestone that plunge into the lake. North of the lake in Val Camino you can see hundreds of prehistoric rock carvings at the National Park of Rock Engravings and to the south of the lake is the Torbiere peat bog and Franciacorta, the area where the renowned sparkling wine is produced.

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BRESCIA FEATURED HOTELS - LOMBARDY, ITALY