Brescia
Brescia (Italian: [ˈbreʃʃa] ⓘ, locally Italian: [ˈbreːʃa]; Lombard: Brèsa, Lombard: [ˈbrɛsɔ, ˈbrɛhɔ, ˈbrɛsa]; Latin: Brixia; Venetian: Bressa) is a city and comune (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo. With a population of more than 200,000, it is the second largest city in Lombardy and the fourth largest in northwest Italy. The urban area of Brescia extends beyond the administrative city limits and has a population of 672,822,[3] while over 1.5 million people live in its metropolitan area.[3] The city is the administrative capital of the Province of Brescia, one of the largest in Italy, with over 1,200,000 inhabitants.
This article is about the city. For the province, see Province of Brescia. For other uses, see Brescia (disambiguation).
Brescia
Brèsa (Lombard)
Province of Brescia (BS)
1200 BC
7th century BC
89 BC
90.3 km2 (34.9 sq mi)
149 m (489 ft)
874 m (2,867 ft)
104 m (341 ft)
200,423
2,200/km2 (5,700/sq mi)
Bresciano
Bresà (Brescian dialect)
Brescian (English)
030
15 February
Founded over 3,200 years ago, Brescia (in antiquity Brixia) has been an important regional centre since pre-Roman times. Its old town contains the best-preserved Roman public buildings in northern Italy[4][5] and numerous monuments, among these the medieval castle, the Old and New cathedral, the Renaissance Piazza della Loggia and the rationalist Piazza della Vittoria.
The monumental archaeological area of the Roman forum and the monastic complex of San Salvatore-Santa Giulia have become a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of a group of seven inscribed as Longobards in Italy, Places of Power.[6]
Brescia is considered to be an important industrial city.[7] Metallurgy and production of metal parts, machine tools and firearms are of particular economic significance, along with mechanical and automotive engineering. Among the major companies based in the Brescia metro area there are utility company A2A, automotive manufacturer OMR, steel producers Lucchini and Alfa Acciai, machine tools producers Camozzi and Lonati, firearms manufacturers Fausti, Beretta and Perazzi, gas equipment manufacturers Sabaf and Cavagna, etc.
Brescia is home to the prestigious Mille Miglia classic car race that starts and ends in the town.
In the arts, it was nicknamed Leonessa d'Italia ("The Lioness of Italy") by Gabriele d'Annunzio, who selected Gardone Riviera (nearby on the shores of Garda Lake) as his final residence. The estate he built (largely thanks to state-sponsored funding), il Vittoriale, is now a public institution devoted to the arts; a museum dedicated to him is hosted in his former residence. Brescia is also the setting for most of the action in Alessandro Manzoni's 1822 play Adelchi.
The province is known for being the production area of the Franciacorta sparkling wine, as well as the main source of Italian-produced caviar. Brescia with her territory was the "European Region of Gastronomy" in 2017 and the "Italian Capital of Culture" with Bergamo in 2023.[8]
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Brescia, Italy
Cultural: (ii), (iii), (vi)
2011 (35th Session)
3.75 ha (0.0145 sq mi)
84.13 ha (0.3248 sq mi)
As 2019, in Brescia there are 51 primary schools, of which 42 public and 9 private. There are also 29 lower secondary schools, of which 21 public and 8 private.[58]
Referring to upper secondary schools, in Brescia there are 53 schools, of which 20 are private and 33 are public. Among them there are 3 classic lyceums and 13 scientific lyceums.
Brescia has two universities:
Brescia is also home of two academies of fine art (Libera Accademia di Belle Arti (LABA) and Accademia di Belle Arti SantaGiulia) and a conservatory of music (Conservatorio Luca Marenzio).
Healthcare[edit]
Brescia is an important medical centre. The main hospital of the city is Spedali Civili di Brescia, which has 2,180 beds and an employed staff of 6,175.[60] It was founded in 1427 and is considered the second best hospital in Italy.[61] Other hospitals are located in the city: Fondazione Poliambulanza, Casa di Cura S. Camillo, Istituto Clinico S. Anna and Istituto Clinico Città di Brescia.
Pollution[edit]
Brescia is at the top of the ranking of European cities with the highest preventable mortality burdens for PM2.5 pollution in a new study published in January 2021 by The Lancet Planetary Health,[86] which estimates the death rate associated with fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution in 1000 European cities.
Legambiente based on the number of days the legal air-quality limits were breached in 2018. The report said Brescia failed to respect the legal limits for 150 days last year, 103 for ozone and 47 for Pm10 particles.[87]
Internal view of the Santuario di Santa Maria delle Grazie church
Internal view of the Santissimo Corpo di Cristo church
Former San Barnaba church
San Faustino in Riposo church
San Marco Evangelista church
Bonomini Tomb also known as the Dog's Tomb
Maggi-Gambara Palace
Bertolotti Palace
Beretta Palace
Martinengo Palace
Piazza Duomo by night
The Castle's main entrance
Street in the old city center
Roman ruins
Roman Theatre section
Corso Zanardelli and Teatro Grande main entrance
Torre d'Ercole
Steps in the old town
Arcades
Cultural references[edit]
Astronomy[edit]
The 521 Brixia planetoid is named after the city.[102]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the : Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Brescia". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
