Explore Italy: Brescia

Brescia in a nutshell

Location: Lombardy, Italy / Lombardia, Italia

Best known for: Well, that’s the beauty of it, is that it’s not really known for anything major.

Days needed to explore: 1+ Brescia has no major list of tourist-must-sees, which means you can wander and enjoy it in just a day. On the other hand, Brescia makes a lovely base for a northern Italy itinerary. It’s not as big as Milan and not as well-known as Verona or Venice.

Established: First settled in 1200 BC, ruled by Romans by 89 BC. It had the usual fate of many current day cities in Italy: led by duchys, priests, and various groups, back and forth, even being besieged by Attila the Hun at one point. In 1859 it was conquered and included in the new Kingdom of Italy.

What to see and do:

Castello di Brescia - Brescia has its own medieval castle! Inside the castle there are a couple of museums, Museo delle Armi "Luigi Marzoli" (Museum of Weapons) and Museo del Risorgimento Leonessa dell’Italia (Risorgimento Museum)
Piazza Paolo VI - the largest piazza in Brescia, here you will find the Duomo Nuovo / new Cathedral (Cattedrale Estiva di Santa Maria Assunta) and the Duomo Vecchio / Old Cathedral (Cattedrale Invernale di Santa Maria Assunta). By “new” they mean it was built in the 17th century, while the old was built in the 12th century.
Piazza della Loggia - piazza with Venetian influence and clock tower
Piazza della Vittoria - A square with cold, Rationalist architecture influenced by the fascism of the age
Brixia, the Roman Archaeologic Area of Brescia - a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Museo di Santa Giulia - for the art and history lovers, this is the most well-known museum in Brescia

Typical foods to try:

Bagoss cheese - a rare, aged cheese special to the region. Delicious eaten on its own or in dishes, especially on pizza!
Franciacorta - the sparkling, champagne like wine native to the region
Casoncelli alla Bresciana - Brescia’s answer to ravioli or tortelli, made simply with a thin egg pasta and filled with bread crumbs, butter, and Grana Padano.
Polenta - Brescia and the north are known for their polenta, a hearty, Italian comfort food. Look for Polenta Taragna or try another Brescian dish, Lo Spiedo, slow cooked meat on a skewer often served with polenta.
Bossolà - tall, fluffy, cloud-like doughnut pastries covered in powdered sugar and usually served with crème patisserie, chocolate crème patisserie, or mascarpone. Traditional around Christmas time hit some pasticcerie make them year round

Where to Eat:

Ristorante ai Nazareni - excellent, authentic middle eastern food
Gelateria Imperiale - a stroll outside the historical center will not only get you some excellent gelato but also a taste of every-day Brescia and Italy. The flavors are very well played here, and the gelato macarons are delightful! While I usually go for the richer flavors, I found the simple mascarpone flavor to be elegant yet bursting with flavor.

Why I like Brescia

Not many have heard of Brescia, despite being a decent sized city in Italy. Even if you have heard of it, it doesn’t necessarily shoot to the top of your must-visit list, as it is mostly described as industrial. It’s sandwiched between Verona and Milan in the north of Italy, both of which have bigger claim to fame. Brescia is usually left off of travel itineraries and travel blogs, but that, my friends, is part of what makes it charming.

Two Story Centro Commerciale (shopping mall)

My husband had lived there for several years and thought fondly of it, even being teased by Tuscans for the Brescian accent he brought with him. I also enjoyed listening to the Brescian conversations peppered with “eh?” much like the accent of the Upper Peninsula of my beloved Michigan. Over the course of our time in Italy, we found ourselves back in Brescia a few times for work and pleasure, often staying several days and using it as a base to explore. From Brescia we visited Desenzano del Garda and Verona, and it’s well connected to other northern cities including Milan and many of the charming places around Lago di Garda. Brescia feels relaxed after the hustle and bustle of some of the other bigger cities, and for a small town girl like myself, was a welcome pace. While I love Rome, Venice, Naples, etc, I tend to feel pressure and a certain FOMO, there is so much to do and see I almost can’t relax and enjoy it, you know? Brescia has a more livable feel, while still offering plenty to explore, plenty of space, less crowds, beautiful churches, history, and scenery all around. Brescia did my heart good with its colder climate, and is especially lovely to visit around Christmas time. They have large sparkling trees in the big piazzas, and lights hanging above your head down all the main streets. It’s magical and Christmasy with the brisk air and even snow that might make an appearance. I always thought, if I were to move somewhere else in Italy, Brescia might be a good choice. It’s comfortable, has good shopping, lots of good options for food, a reputable hospital, and rent is much more affordable than the other bigger cities.

I wouldn’t go into Brescia with overly high expectations, but I think it makes an excellent base for day tripping to some of the more impressive must-sees of the north.