WHAT TO DO IN BRESCIA IF YOU’RE AN ART LOVER
Many people underestimate the potentiality of most Italian cities, and I have often been told that it’s difficult to find what to do in Brescia for those who love art.
Brescia, instead, is a city full of history, modern and vibrant, that is worth enjoying slowly.
Brescia is the perfect city for those who look for exciting places, away from ordinary tourist destinations. It’s no coincidence that Brescia has been named, along with Bergamo, Italian Capital of Culture 2023.
What to do in Brescia if you’re an art lover
Tosio Martinengo Gallery, Brescia
Here is an itinerary between art and culture to follow in Brescia.
The three squares, heart of the historic centre
If you don’t know what to do in Brescia all you have to do is start with a tour of the three historical squares: the medieval-style Piazza Paolo VI; the Renaissance-style Piazza della Loggia with its majestic palace, the colonnade and the Clock Tower; Piazza Vittoria with its pure white and grim architecture.
Brescia UNESCO: Santa Giulia and Brixia Museum Complex. Archaeological Park of Roman Brescia
The next stop, Via Musei, is a real walk back in time, with the archaeological area and Santa Giulia Museum Complex.
In the Capitoline Temple (Capitolium) you can admire the Winged Victory, Brescia’s symbol, a very rare and large Roman bronze statue dating back to the first half of the 1st century AD.
The treasures of the Tosio Martinengo Gallery
The Tosio Martinengo Gallery is another treasure hidden in the historic centre of Brescia, which boasts an amazing collections of artworks (including paintings by Raphael, Lotto, Hayez, Canova), whose core is made up of paintings by Brescian Renaissance masters.
Brescia is contemporary as well
In the very central and working-class Carmine district you can admire beautiful street art works.
In Piazza della Vittoria stands out the Stele by Mimmo Paladino and Il Peso del tempo sospeso by Stefano Bombardieri, while you can find important installations everywhere, from works by Emilio Isgrò to those by Marcello Maloberti and by Patrick Tuttofuoco.
Brescia’s Castle and Europe’s largest urban vineyard
From the historic centre a beautiful walk will take you to the Castle, one of the largest fortified complexes in Europe, housing also the Luigi Marzoli Arms Museum.
The Castle stands on Cidneo hill, and at its foot is Vigneto Pusterla, that with its 3.4 hectares is the largest urban vineyard in Europe.
Santa Giulia, Brescia
Brescia and Mille Miglia
Brescia is famous for being the city of Mille Miglia (“the most beautiful car race in the world”) that takes place every year in May and gathers about 400 cars, which must have been built between 1927 and 1957, which contend for first place in a non-stop race from Brescia to Roma and back.
To the car race is dedicated the Mille Miglia Museum, located in the restored Sant’Eufemia monastery complex.
You can enjoy many pleasant experiences, and often unusual, together with artisans and producers in order to dive into the life of the city.
Discover them on the website www.visitbrescia.it, in sections MAKE and TASTE, where you’ll find all usual information.