Ancient monuments and new art: inside Brescia, Italy's latest capital of culture

Unusually, Italy has two capitals of culture in 2023: Bergamo and Brescia, sharing the spotlight after their devastating 2020, when the pair were Italy’s early pandemic hotspots. 

Bergamo is better known — its beautiful Città Alta, or upper town, cantilevered above the Po Valley, has been a tourist fixture for the past couple of decades. That makes lesser-known Brescia your priority for this year — and this astonishing city may just surprise you. It has incredible Roman remains, one of northern Italy’s best museums, and a boundary-pushing food and drink scene. Plus it’s a mere 36 minutes by train from Milan. A new 50-mile cycle route via Lake Iseo connects it with Bergamo, too, should you wish to combine the two.

The Capital of Culture events programme is heavily focused towards Italians, but you might want to skip the official events and just see the city. Start at the beginning. Brescia was founded by the Celts, who settled at the foot of the Cidneo Hill. They later allied themselves with the Romans — before becoming Roman themselves. And it’s the Roman city, built by the Emperor Vespasian, that should be first on your list. Today a huge, inclined square sits over the old Forum, topped by the Capitolium — a vast, three-chapel temple, framed by gargantuan columns. 

The highlight inside is the Vittoria Alata — a super-sized bronze statue of a Winged Victory so lifelike that she looks like she could take off any moment. And there’s a highlight underground too: a chapel of an earlier Roman temple, still brightly frescoed with lifelike trompe l’oeil garlands.

Beside the Capitolium stands an enormous (if ramshackle) Roman theatre, and just down the street is the Santa Giulia Museum, set in a rambling old monastery complex which dates back to the eighth century. Tracing the history of the city from prehistory to today, it’s a marathon of polished bronzes, Roman mosaics and the frescoed, starry-roofed church of Santa Maria in Solario. 

But Brescia isn’t just about its history — a wealthy, industrial city, it’s also a top purveyor of dolce vita. Take Inedito, for example — a pizzeria, but not just any old pizzeria. Opened in 2021, it serves a seven-course tasting menu, including focaccia topped with burrata and prosciutto that’s been aged for a whopping 50 months. 

Then there’s Massenzio, a cocktail bar down a medieval alley near the Capitolium. Fittingly, it’s Roman-themed — you can try a flight of cocktails, each named after ancient emperors and empresses.

And near the station, the AreaDocks Boutique Hotel is the heart of a converted railway warehouse, along with restaurants, bars and design boutiques. 

Prefer something more classic? Take a seat at one of the many bars in Piazza della Loggia, a square flanked by Venetian-built porticos, and try a pirlo — Brescia’s take on a spritz, with Campari and white wine.