Best Western Hotel Master
Brescia - Tel. 030.399 037
Brescia - Tel. 030.399 037
The city of Brescia lies at the foot of the hills below the Pre-Alps, bordering on the Po Plain. Its situation is favourable to town settlement, industry, trade and tourism. The city was settled by a lot of different cultures: in the Bronze Age, by the Ligurians, by the Etruscans, and then by the Celts at the end of the 7th century B.C. In 27 a.c.Brixia was raised to the rank of Roman "Colonia".At the time of the dissolution of the Roman Empire, Brescia became the capital of a Lombard duchy (7th century A.D.). During this period the King Desiderio founded the convent of S. Salvatore (later called Santa Giulia). Here Alessandro Manzoni was inspired for the setting of Adelchi, the famous tragedy of Ermengarda, the king's unhappy daughter, obliged to marry Charlemagne, the king of the Franks who subdued the city. In the 11th century Brescia became a city-state and took part in the struggle against Federico Barbarossa at Legnano. In this period the local citizen Arnaldo, who was a monk, was burned alive because he preached against the corruption of the clergy and was considered a heretic. During the 13th century Milan and Venice disputed the rule of Brescia. In 1438 the Visconti besieged the city, but there is a popular belief that Saints Faustino and Giovita appeared to the enemies and managed to put them to flight. In 1512 Brescia was besieged by the French army led by Gaston de Foix. During the 16th century in the artistic field the painters Foppa, Romanino, Moretto and Savoldo created the most famous works of the Brescian Renaissance, which are now in the Municipal Art Gallery and churches. Afterwards, under the rule of Venice, Brescia prospered. The long period of peace brought great economic progress in agriculture and handicraft, especially in the manufacture of arms, which was renowned all over Europe. At the end of the 18th century, the French army led by Napoleon put an end to Venetian rule, so Brescia became part of the Cisalpine Republic and of the Regno d'Italia. On the fall of Napoleon, Brescia became a possession of the Austrians until the 1849, when the people of Brescia rebelled against them, during the so called “Dieci Giornate” (Ten Days), getting the name of Leonessa d’Italia (the Lioness of Italy).