Brescia Travel Guide, Italy

Brescia Travel Guide – Administrative Information

The city of Brescia is located in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy and it’s the second largest urban agglomeration in the area after the capital Milan. The Alps are very close to the city which is placed between Mella and the Naviglio and they make an astonishing surrounding for the 190.000 inhabitants of Brescia. The city is also the administrative capital of the Province of Brescia which has more than 1.200.000 inhabitants and is one of the largest in Italy. Ever since its foundation in Roman times, Brescia (formerly known as Brixia) has been a major strategic and administrative point for the region it belongs to. Ruins are still preserved today and the city takes much pride in its ancient history.

Brescia Travel Guide – Economy and Living

Brescia gets its income mostly from the industrial sector which is very well represented in the city. It is the centre of the third largest industrial area in Italy and it mainly handles mechanical and automotive engineering. Brescia is not characterized by large corporate firms but by small or medium size activities which are often handled by families as their own businesses. Lots of people work in the financial sector and the city benefits a lot from tourist circulation, as it is very close to a small and charming lake, Lago d’Iseo and to the more popular and visited Lago di Garda, which is Italy’s largest lake. The city also has an important university which attracts students from around the country and offers degrees in engineering, business, law and medicine.

Brescia Travel Guide – Urban Aspects

Brescia is an important city on the sports map of Italy due to its footbal club, Brescia Calcio. They play in blue and white and have a 27.000 seat stadium called Stadio Mario Rigamonti, that was built in 1911. A peculiar aspect in the appearance of the city is that its streets are placed at right angles, which is a legacy dating from Roman times. The city is generally crowded and its busy bus and train stations along with a generous skyscraper are little reminders of the more cozy and intimate old town. Still, the imposing castle and the two cathedrals handed down from those times fill the city with tourists and can never go unnoticed. The closest major city found in Italy is legendary Verona, which is definitely worth visiting even if just for a day trip.