Exploring Italy

Urban sprawl, a seedy bus and train station area, and the odd skyscraper don’t hint at Brescia’s fascinating old town, which serves as a reminder of its substantial history.
Brescia already had centuries of (now-obscure) history behind it when the Romans conquered the Gallic town in 225 BC. The Carolingians took over in the 9th century, and were followed by a millennium’s worth of outside rulers including the Venetians. As revolutionary fervour swept Europe in 1848–49, Brescia was dubbed ‘The Lioness’ for its 10-day attempted uprising against Austria in a prelude to its participation in the movement towards Italian unification a decade later.