Brescia: a case for venturing off the beaten track!

Venice, Rome, Naples… Countless are Italy's popular tourist destinations, and unsurprisingly so, given their rich culture and extraordinary beauty. However, with visitors to the country being spoilt for choice, it’s more than likely that lesser-known towns and cities will be overlooked. Brescia, I would argue, is such unlucky place. It’s not completely unknown – in fact, it’s considered by some to be one of the most influential cities in Northern Italy – but I certainly wouldn’t expect it to be the average traveller’s first port of call. Today, therefore, I consider it my mission to sell the place to you by recounting a recent day trip I went on with a few fellow English language teaching assistants.

An account of our day

9:50

I caught a train with Maggie (the other English language teaching assistant working at my school) from our local station, and within ten minutes, we’d arrived in lovely Brescia! Rovato, where we’re based, is very small and there's not usually an awful lot going on, so it’s nice to know that we have a breath of fresh (or should I say ‘more polluted’?) air within easy reach. We were planning to meet two other teacher’s aides, but since they were coming from the further town of Bienno, we had a couple of hours to kill before they arrived.

10:20

Our first stop was the Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli. This place of worship wasn’t on our itinerary, but after marvelling at its intricately-decorated façade, we couldn’t resist popping inside. We learned, thanks to some comprehensive information notices, that the church had earned it name because of a fresco on the outer wall, which, originally part of a house, had been rumoured to possess miraculous powers. While I certainly won’t go as far as to deny this theory, I will say that the mural’s capacities must have diminished slightly during the Second World War, as almost all of the building’s interior was destroyed in a bomb attack. However, said powers were evidently regained in time for the superbly-executed restoration project.

10:40

Next, we came across the Church of San Francesco d’Assisi, part of a Franciscan monastery which is still inhabited today. At first glance, the building’s interior seemed just as plain as its façade, but we soon realised that the two side aisles were filled with extraordinary frescoes, some dating back to the fourteenth century. We didn’t get to see the institution’s main cloister, but did enjoy passing through a different smaller one on our way out. After stopping briefly to admire the thirteenth-century bell tower, we decided to make our way to one of the main squares of the city.

11:05

If you want to see a post office with ‘grandiose’ written all over it, make sure to head to Brescia’s Piazza della Vittoria (Victory Square) – credits to Maggie for these two photos! We wandered round the bustling Saturday market for fifteen minutes or so, marvelling at the excellent bargains but not succumbing to any of them. (I, for one, arrived in Italy with a suitcase only just under Ryanair’s weight limit, so am trying not to acquire any extra baggage while I’m here.) We were particuarly amused by a stall selling Calvin Klein knock-offs: pretty convincing until you looked more closely.

11:25

We then walked down a couple of side streets to Piazza Paolo VI (aka Piazza Duomo), the site of the city’s two cathedrals, but decided to wait for the others before going inside either building. If you’re in search of a tourist information point, make sure to head here – there's in the corner on your left if you stand with your back to the churches. On the way back to the station, we stopped in Trodler, a lovely little shop, packed with antique goods.

12:30

An hour later, having picked up our other two travel companions, we began to feel peckish. A lapse in spatial memory – we were intending to find a place to eat in one of the squares we’d just come for – led us to Piazzale Arnaldo, a quiet, grassy quad with excellent views of the surrounding landscape. We had a quick lunch at Arnold’s Café, where we were surprised to see horse on the menu! I later discovered that it's actually quite a typical meat here – in fact, just a week later, I had it for dinner with my host family!

14:00

This feast for our stomachs was followed by a feast for our eyes: the Church of Santa Maria della Carità, with its splendid altar and wall paintings. Make sure, if you go, to pop behind the holy table to see a reproduction of the Basilica della Santa Casa (Basilica of the Holy House) – the star-spangled ceiling is quite lovely!

14:25

We then went back to Piazza Paolo VI to explore the two cathedrals. The Duomo Nuovo (New Cathedral) impressed us greatly with its majestic marble exterior, imposing columns and exquisite central cupola. This church was another of those that had suffered damages during the Second World War, but that certainly didn’t stop us from spending a good fifteen minutes gazing around the place in complete awe.

14:45

Equally enchanting was the next-door Duomo Vecchio (Old Cathedral), a Romanesque basilica, built in the eleventh century on the ruins of an even older place of worship. Everything about this place was extraordinary, from its lavishly decorated chancel to its tranquil crypt. We only wished we could have seen all of the frescoes that once lined the walls of the central space: only fragments remain today.

15:05

We then decided it was about time to see the castle, the one landmark that cannot be skipped. The route to our destination was helpfully signposted, and we were more than happy to follow along this path which treated us to a new spectacular viewpoint every thirty seconds. The trek took about twenty-fives minutes, and apparently inspired a range of cravings in us, because we all agreed that we must stop off for coffee, beer and/or ice cream in the café next to the castle entrance. I can still hardly believe we were able to have refreshments in the sun in early March!

16:15

Clearly we were satisfied, as it took us almost an hour to move from our seats and venture inside the castle walls. The Museum of the Risorgimento was unfortunately closed for restoration, and we weren’t tempted by the Museum of Armour, so we ended up leaving none the wiser than when we had arrived. The views from the top, however, definitely made the hike worth the effort, although we were temporarily distracted by the rather unnerving sight a man posing for a photo on the edge of a very high wall. Oh, the extremes to which some people will go for social media!

17:45

After capturing panorama shots from just about every angle, we headed back down the hill to see the ruins of a Roman temple, the Capitolium. We wandered along the narrow Via dei Musei for quite a while, wondering if perhaps we were going in the wrong direction, but then all of a sudden the road widened, and there to our left stood the great structure. It was funny to see ancient ruins surrounded by much more modern flats, but that's Italy for you!

Only about half of the temple's colonnade is still standing today, but even just this was an extraordinary sight, especially as the sun was beginning to go down. Unfortunately, we arrived too late to see the Roman museum or the amphitheatre (both part of the same archaeological site) but luckily we were able to peek through the window of the former and the entrance gate of the latter.

18:00

Three hundred metres down the road, we found the Santa Giulia City Museum, built on the site of a former monastery. Two particular highlights for me were the Church of Santa Maria in Solario, with its breathtaking starry ceiling, and the Church of San Salvatore, which was covered with vibrant murals. The museum’s collection was vast, with artefacts dating back to the Bronze Age, and we learned a great about Brescia as we made our way through the endless maze of rooms.

19:30

Our final stop was the Piazza della Loggia, where we found Trattoria Caprese, a restaurant with a huge array of meals to choose from. Amazingly, it was still warm enough to sit outside without the slightest discomfort. As well as being served much more quickly than those queuing for seats inside, we also had the advantage of being able to see the square by night. Our food was delicious, and the only slight downside to our meal was that we weren’t allowed to split the bill between the four of us, since only one cash and one card payment was permitted per table. Even if your card works abroad, always make sure to keep a few coins and notes on you just in case!

20:30

Happy to have our hunger satisfied, but exhausted from the carb overload (not to mention all the exercise we'd done that day), Maggie and I made our way back to the station, glad that sleep was just a short train ride away.

Final thoughts

Having arrived in Brescia with pretty low expectations – perhaps because, as I mentioned at the beginning, it’s not a place that’s shouted about a great deal in the tourist guides – I was very pleasantly surprised by the city and its abundant history. I wouldn’t, perhaps, go so far as to put it on a par with Italy’s most prominent metropolises, but would certainly recommend a day trip if you’re staying nearby. You won’t be disappointed!

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