Set in a salubrious park atop a hill, Brescia’s impressive castle is a great place for aimless wandering (early mornings are best), soaking up views and absorbing a tangible sense of history (information boards explain the details in three languages). There is no entry fee unless you want to peruse the two museums housed in the fortifications. Torre Mirabella, the main round tower, was built by the Viscontis in the 13th century.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
17.35 MILES
Poet, soldier, hypochondriac and proto-Fascist, Gabriele d'Annunzio (1863–1938) defies easy definition, and so does his estate. Bombastic, extravagant and…
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0.27 MILES
You could spend a whole day in this monster of a museum housed in an ex-monastery and still have plenty left for another visit. Those with limited time…
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28.86 MILES
Just east of the old city walls is one of Italy's great art repositories. Founded in 1780, it contains an exceptional range of Italian masters. Raphael's…
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15.26 MILES
Opened in the mid-2010s and housed in an old monastery a block back from Salò’s ferry dock, Musa’s exhibits are split between a permanent collection that…
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18.73 MILES
Occupying 2 hectares at Sirmione's northern tip, this ruined 1st-century-AD Roman villa is a picturesque complex of teetering stone arches and tumbledown…
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29.46 MILES
Bergamo's colossal, square-based Torre del Campanone soars 52m above the city. It still tolls a bell at 10pm, the legacy of an old curfew. Taking the lift…
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29.46 MILES
On the northwest side of Piazza Vecchia, the fresco-dappled Palazzo del Podestà was traditionally home to Venice's representative in Bergamo. Today, the…
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Parco Archeologico Rocca di Manerba
16.92 MILES
Protected by Unesco, the gorgeous 'rock of Minerva' juts out scenically into the lake just north of Moniga del Garda. The park contains the remaining low…
Nearby Brescia attractions
1. Museo Civico del Risorgimento
This museum is dedicated to the history of Italian unification.
Inspect the extensive collection of vintage weaponry.
0.21 MILES
Brescia’s impressive archaeological complex cleverly reconstructs the city’s Roman past from fragments first discovered in the 1820s. It consists of three…
0.22 MILES
Back in the first century AD, the Piazza del Foro was the centre of civic and religious life in Brescia (Brixia). You can see a few fragments – including…
5. Palazzo Martinengo Cesaresco
0.23 MILES
This 17th-century palace houses two separate museums, and it makes a worthwhile detour while exploring Brescia's historic sites. The Brixia Light Box …
0.27 MILES
You could spend a whole day in this monster of a museum housed in an ex-monastery and still have plenty left for another visit. Those with limited time…
0.3 MILES
The Torre dell'Orologio, with its exquisite astrological timepiece, is modelled on the one in Venice's Piazza San Marco.
0.31 MILES
The medieval town hall looms large over the plaza down below thanks to its soaring brick tower, which was built in the 12th century. Other parts of the…