Foto: Nicolò Prandelli - La gente di Piazza Vittoria
L ac i t tĂĄ i n tas ca E u ro p e an Y o u t h S m a rt C i t y
Progetto realizzato con il contributo di Regione Lombardia - Bando Associazionismo e Volontariato 2014/2015
L ac i t tá i n tas ca E u ro p e an Y o u t h S m a rt C i t y
VITTORIA SQUARE
M
Vittoria Square is quite new, and it is famous for antifascist protests around the “Bigio”, a marble statue built in the Fascist era, finally removed. M
12
O RC UA PA ACQ L L’ DE
T O R R PI A R C O GEME LLE
M
P A R C O T A R E L L O
ruins of three bridges on Garza torrent (two on the east of Ina tower, and one on the north of Mercato Square) and a wall of a XIII century church, decorated with frescoes, in the north of the corner between Corso Zanardelli and Corso Palestro, found in 1937. In 1932, a marble statue was put in the square, the official name was “Era Fascista”, but in dialect was “Bigio”, it was removed in 1945, after lots of antifascist protests. In 2008, during the excavations for subway, foundations of a medieval tower were found, so, works for subway were slowed down. Today Vittoria Square hosts lots of events, such as all-night out (because lots of shops are opened till midnight), the famous “Corri x Brescia” (a non-competitive run), dance festivals and “Europa in Piazza”, with more than 120 stands. In winter 2014 there was also an ice rink. Sitografia: http://www.bresciastorica.it/foto-storica-piazza-della-vittoria-brescia-annitrenta/
Foto: Paolo Archetti - Vittoria in bianco
Foto: Francesco Bandera - Vittoria nel 2005
The square was born with the destruction, in 1932, of the medieval area of Pescherie, which was composed by narrow alleys, with medieval buildings. The major activities in the area were fish, cheese, meat and corn trade. In 1927, the Roman architect Marcello Piacentini won a open competition for the modernization of the area. His project was about the creation of a square and a readjustment of urban road network: two perpendicular arterial roads that would have sped the traffic. Changes started in 1929 and lasted more or less two years, but in this period lots of historic works were lost, such as the Romanesque church of Saint Ambrogio and the ruins of Curia Romana Ducis. Lots of historic evidences emerged from excavations, such as the foundations of late antiquity city walls (now below the Palace of Post Office) and of a tower (in front of the Palace), foundations of a ducal palace of the Lombards (in the south of Monte di Pietà Nuovo),
www.iluoghidelsociale.it - Via Salgari,43 - 25125 Brescia - info@iluoghidelsociale.it
L ac i t tá i n tas ca E u ro p e an Y o u t h S m a rt C i t y
X GIORNATE STREET
M
The street crosses the city centre from Corso Zanardelli to Loggia Square, skirting on east porticoes, full of bars and shops, and on west buildings surrounding Vittoria Square.
M
12
O RC UA PA ACQ L L’ DE
T O R R PI A R C O GEME LLE
M
P A R C O T A R E L L O
Foto: Daniele Rizzini - Una porta per passeggiare
The street was built by Viscontis in the XIV century and in that period it was a street along the pit at the foot of the walls of Viscontis. In 1822 the municipality commissioned the building of the Granarolo arch, which joined the colonnades in the point in which they were cut through by Giulio Bevilacqua street, to avoid that people, in case of a raining day, got wet. Between 1927 and 1932, the western side, where there was the area of Pescherie, was completely destroyed to build some buildings on the perimeter of the new Vittoria Square. The street was enlarged and the facades of the new buildings were withdrawn for few metres: the previous streets that linked the Pescherie quarter to Duomo Square are traceable because they were in correspondence to the two portals opened towards Vittoria Square, and Granarolo colonnades were in the same position of the colonnades of the current Vittoria Hotel. Once the street was known as Contrada del Granarolo, it changed its name in 1849, after the important episode of resistance against Austrian occupying forces. Today in the street there are lots of shops and bars, and
on the opposite side of the colonnades there is Astra Cinema, inaugurated in 1948, closed in 2009 and reopened some years after. Sitografia: http://www.bresciastorica.it/la-modernita-di-via-delle-spaderie/
Foto: Nikita Derev’yanchenko - Il modo migliore per cercare di capire il mondo è vederlo dal maggior numero possibile di angolazioni
www.iluoghidelsociale.it - Via Salgari,43 - 25125 Brescia - info@iluoghidelsociale.it
L ac i t tá i n tas ca E u ro p e an Y o u t h S m a rt C i t y
THE RAILWAY STATION
M
The railway station in Brescia represents a rare example of nineteenth-century station, with neoclassical structure and style influenced by neo-romanesque elements and medieval fortifications.
M
12
O RC UA PA ACQ L L’ DE
T O R R PI A R C O GEME LLE
M
P A R C O T A R E L L O
and now it includes a ticket office, a bar-restaurant, a kiosk, many ticket machines and some shops. With the addition of rails, the south colonnade was demolished and the roofing was substituted with projecting roofs on the platforms. The rail network for the “traffic” of passengers is composed by 10 rails, three of them are sections, on the Western Area, that are the last stop for the segment Brescia-Iseo-Edolo. External rails are used for the operation of trains e for the transit of cargo trains that go to Brescia Scalo. Sitografia: http://www.stazionidelmondo.it/bresciastazione.htm
Foto: Francesco Bandera - La stazione
The railway station, built following the project of the engineer Benedetto Foix, was inaugurated on 24th April 1854, with the opening of the segment Coccaglio-Verona. The facade is monumental, with its red bricks, white arches and medieval battlements. Once it had 4 rails and was closed on the southern part by a colonnade delimited by two small towers, alike the two on the northern side, which signal the arrival of trains. Two sides were joined by a wood roofing that protects travellers, and that was decorated with the same finish of the facade. In 1878, in occasion of the visit of Umberto I of Savoia, for the inauguration of the segment Treviglio- Rovato, the roofing was substituted with one with iron and glass. During the WWII, this roofing was destroyed due to increasing request of iron for military aims. The interior of the building was restored in 2005
www.iluoghidelsociale.it - Via Salgari,43 - 25125 Brescia - info@iluoghidelsociale.it
L ac i t tá i n tas ca E u ro p e an Y o u t h S m a rt C i t y
piazzaLE ARNALDO
M
Summary: an historic wheat market from the early 19th century, this square, dedicated to the citizen martyr, has changed through the years till the actual form in 1882, becoming the main centre of the city night life.
M
12
O RC UA PA ACQ L L’ DE
T O R R PI A R C O GEME LLE
M
P A R C O T A R E L L O
Foto: Laura Nai - La luce svela una città, un’ombra la descrive
Piazzale Arnaldo is situated on the eastern perimeter of the historic city centre. In the early 19th century it was occupied by fields, which were cultivated by the monks of the Saint Afra convent. Later, the municipality bought these fields and the square was transformed in a wheat market (it was in a big colonnade edifice long more than 100 meters) and two buildings, that closed at east the square, to collect the excise duty. To apply these transformations the southern part of the
actual Dieci Giornate street (formerly called Granarolo street) was evacuated. In the second half of the 18th century the city walls were demolished and the city raised a monument to substitute the fortified door. This monument was built to commemorate Arnaldo, a friar from Brescia that in the 12th century was burnt at the stake because he denounced the corruption of the clergy and predicated a Church without money. From 1882 the structure of the square has not changed in its fundamental characteristics. The square has changed its name throughout the years: in 1897 it was dedicated to Arnaldo from Brescia, in the Fascist period it was dedicated to the Ten Days of Brescia (the Ten Days of Brescia was a revolt, which lasted from March 23rd to April 1st in 1849, citizens of Brescia rose up against the Austrian troops) and after the WWII it was dedicated again to the martyr. In 1976, in this square, during an attack in the Years of Lead (a period of socio-political turmoil in Italy that lasted from the late 1960s to the early 1980s), a bomb exploded. Nowadays the square is an important centre in the urban mobility and it’s one of the main night life places where citizens meet in restaurants and pubs. From here you can reach The Ronchi, the city hills, with their famous monument from the 19th century: the Dog Grave. Sitografia: http://www.bresciastorica.it/foto-storica-piazzale-arnaldo-brescia-novecento/
www.iluoghidelsociale.it - Via Salgari,43 - 25125 Brescia - info@iluoghidelsociale.it
L ac i t tá i n tas ca E u ro p e an Y o u t h S m a rt C i t y
paolo vi SQUARE (DUOMO square)
M
Duomo Square is the heart of Brescia because of important historic buildings and it is as well a hangout place for many city youths. M
12
O RC UA PA ACQ L L’ DE
The medieval square is surrounded by historic buildings, such as the Broletto Palace, built in 1200, on the north-eastern side of the square, which today hosts the Prefecture, the provincial administrative office and some council offices. The name of the square comes from the two cathedrals on the eastern side: Duomo Nuovo, built between 1604 and 1825 with different architectonic styles - from late Baroque to rococo, and Duomo Vecchio, or Rotonda, built in the XI century, an example of a medieval circular stone building. In front of Duomo Nuovo there is a neoclassical palace, built in 1809, and, not far from there, you find Camerlenghi’s House (Camerlenghi were financial
T O R R PI A R C O GEME LLE
M
administrators during Venetian dominion). Another important building is the neo-renaissance palace of Agrarian Credit of Brescia, built in the early 1900s, that absorbed the sixteenth-century Negroboni palace. On the northern side of the square there is a fountain, put there in 1921, with a copy of the neoclassical marble of Minerva, also known as “Brescia armata”. On the western side of the square there are some ruins of a medieval portico, and in the basement there are some mosaics of the Roman thermal baths. From the square you can go to the colonnades of X Giornate street, crossing a medieval arch, under the palace of Agrarian Credit of Brescia. Today the square is becoming more and more a place for hangout of young people, thanks to new pubs and restaurants. P A R C O T A R E L L O
Foto: Elena Isacchini - La sera
Foto: Andrea Bonassi – Al chiaro di luna
Sitografia: http://www.turismobrescia.it/it/punto-d-interesse/piazza-paolo-vi-giapiazza-duomo
www.iluoghidelsociale.it - Via Salgari,43 - 25125 Brescia - info@iluoghidelsociale.it
L ac i t tá i n tas ca E u ro p e an Y o u t h S m a rt C i t y
MERCATO square
M
Ancient square of linen and cloths sellers, the area has changed a lot during the years - since 1400. M
12
O RC UA PA ACQ L L’ DE
T O R R PI A R C O GEME LLE
M
P A R C O T A R E L L O
Between 1927 and 1932, the realisation of Vittoria Square affected Mercato Square: the northern side was reorganized with the construction of a big covered market, and the first underground car park in Brescia was built. The bombardments in the WWII damaged a lot the square, a big section of Martinengo-Palatini Palace fell down and the church of the Madonna of the Linen was damaged, the market was totally destroyed. The palace and the church were restored, whereas the covered market was substituted, in the 60s, with a commercial palace with some flats on the top. Since 2011 the square, for a long time used as a car park, has been pedestrianized. Sitografia: http://itineraribrescia.it/cultura/piazza-del-mercato/
Foto: Luigi Bandera - Incanto d’inverno
The square, with the first name of Platea de Torzanis, was built in 1400 as a raised open space, after the dismantlement of the ancient medieval walls. Since 1435 sellers of linen and cloths with their wood-houses stayed there, but then these houses were replaced with porticoes on the southern side. In 1558 Beretta Palace was built, it was thought as a luxurious residence for cloth merchants. The small church of the Madonna of the Linen came from 1608-09. The MartinengoPalatini Palace, which dominates the whole western side of the square and today seat of the dean of the university of Brescia, was built in the early 1700. In 1825, in the middle of the square, the fountain of Donegani was put. The square, during the centuries, changed lots of times its name: Linen or Cloths Square, Commestibili Square, New Square, Erbe Square, and in 1909 it took its current name.
www.iluoghidelsociale.it - Via Salgari,43 - 25125 Brescia - info@iluoghidelsociale.it
L ac i t tá i n tas ca E u ro p e an Y o u t h S m a rt C i t y
CORSO ZANARDELLI
M
Corso Zanardelli is an historic street in Brescia, today one of the social gatherings of the city, with luxurious shops, bars and other shops, and on Saturday afternoon it is full of people, in particular young people, searching for a relaxing afternoon dedicated to shopping.
M
12
O RC UA PA ACQ L L’ DE
T O R R PI A R C O GEME LLE
M
P A R C O T A R E L L O
walking in a modern bourgeois city. In the mid-century the opposite side of the street was reorganized. In 1983 the current cobbles upholstery was planned, it is formed by cubes made by stones and porphyry. Today the street is one of the most famous and important in the city, because it is possible to walk staring at the luxurious shop windows, or to stop for a break in one of the bars. It is one of the favourite places to spend an afternoon dedicated to shopping. Sitografia: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corso_Giuseppe_Zanardelli
Foto: Denise Angeloni - Brescia in movimento
Foto: Francesco Bandera - 2011 Corso Zanardelli
Once the street was near the south boundary of Brescia. Throughout the centuries, workshops of gouges, marble workers and sculptors were in this street, in addition to the market of wine, until the mid-nineteenth century. The street took many names, the oldest is “Contrada del Gambero”, for the presence of a inn of the same name, then it became “Market of Wine”, and in 1800 it was first called “Corso del Teatro”, referring to Grande Theatre, and then “Contrada dell’Ospitale Grande”, for the presence of Major Hospital. Finally, in 1904, in the occasion of the first anniversary of Giuseppe Zanardelli death, a well-known statesman from Brescia, the municipality proposed to call the street in his honour. Porticoes were built between 1734 and 1773 and modified during the nineteenth century, trying to shape the interventions with a neoclassical orientation. Since 1847 the side with porticoes has become a place for
www.iluoghidelsociale.it - Via Salgari,43 - 25125 Brescia - info@iluoghidelsociale.it
L ac i t tá i n tas ca E u ro p e an Y o u t h S m a rt C i t y
CORSO MAGENTA
M
Corso Magenta is one of the most central streets in Brescia, that hosts a deconsecrated church, Saint Barnaba’s, and two important schools, a secondary school focusing on humanities, “Arnaldo”, and “Luca Marenzio” Conservatory.
M
12
O RC UA PA ACQ L L’ DE
T O R R PI A R C O GEME LLE
M
P A R C O T A R E L L O
Foto: Francesco Bandera - Auditorium San Barnaba
The street has some cultural elements, such as Saint Barnaba Church, built in the XIII century at the request of the bishop of Brescia, Berardo Maggi, and it was refurbished lots of times: at the end of 1200 the cloister was enlarged, and then offered to “Eremitani” of Saint Agostino, expelled from the city in 1457 for
their scandalous behaviour. The “Community of Observance of Lombardy” substituted for them, and in 1490 they built a library. The last alteration was the Baroque reconstruction that gave a marble facade to the building. Angela Merici frequented the church, and according to a tale, here there would have been her levitation. For this reason, many worhippers stop there and pray the saint. The church was then deconsacrated and today it is an auditorium and a conference hall. Its courtyard hosts “Luca Marenzio” conservatory, that also occupies a section of a nineteenth-century palace. Corso Magenta was scene of the construction of barricades, in occasion of the Ten Days of Brescia. All along the street there are many shops and popular bars, in particular among young people, for a spritz or a lunch all together; there is also the Arnaldo secondary school focusing on humanities, an important high school in Brescia. It is important to remember that in this street there was the first headquarter of Wührer brewery, the oldest beer factory in Italy, founded in 1829 by Franz Xaver Wührer. Sitografia: http://itineraribrescia.it/cultura/la-chiesa-di-san-barnaba-chiese-brescia/
www.iluoghidelsociale.it - Via Salgari,43 - 25125 Brescia - info@iluoghidelsociale.it
L ac i t tá i n tas ca E u ro p e an Y o u t h S m a rt C i t y
THE CASTLE OF BRESCIA
M
One of the most suggestive and characteristic places in Brescia is the castle, an historic site that lets you live again the atmosphere of medieval times and allows you to admire the city from a privileged position.
M
12
O RC UA PA ACQ L L’ DE
T O R R PI A R C O GEME LLE
M
P A R C O T A R E L L O
time after, the municipality acquired the hill and started a restoration. In 1904, the Brescia Industrial Exposition (EIB) was organized and inaugurated by king Vittorio Emanuele III. In this occasion, the citizens held folk shows and sport challenges. The Risorgimento Museum was also inaugurated, linked to corso Zanardelli by an electric tram. In the 20th century the castle hosted lots of temporary expositions, a zoological garden, the natural science museum, an urban park, etc. Today, the fort holds public events, such as open-air cinema shows and music events organized by the local discos. In the castle is located the Risorgimento Museum, the Specola Cidnea and the Luigi Marzoli’s weapon Museum, created on the rest of a roman temple from the first century AD, and collecting weapons and armours from the 16th and 17th century. Sitografia: http://www.icastelli.it/castle-1235234969-castello_di_brescia_o_rocca_ del_cidneo-it.php
Foto: Darean Nero – La X Nottata
Foto: archivio fotografico/storico casa Bandera
The castle of Brescia, also called “Falcone d’Italia”, is a rectangular fort with medieval crenellated walls. It overlooks the Cidneo hill, oriented to the historic city centre. The heart of the castle is the Mastio that was built in the first half of the 14th century by the Visconti family from Milan. The front door dates back to the last decades of the 16th century. Here you can admire Saint Mark’s lion, the emblem of Venice republic that dominated Brescia for about four centuries. After the front door, there is a drawbridge where the Prisoner’s tower is situated, the tower is articulated in three levels. The other towers are the French one, the Mirabella one, the Coltrina one and the Middle-Tower. Inside the castle there are the Oil warehouse (Piccolo and Grande Miglio), to collect corn, and the first aid fort, a second door that permitted the besieged to receive help. In the mid-19th century, the castle was used as a military jail, but a little
www.iluoghidelsociale.it - Via Salgari,43 - 25125 Brescia - info@iluoghidelsociale.it
L ac i t tá i n tas ca E u ro p e an Y o u t h S m a rt C i t y
CONTRADA DEL CARMINE
M
This city area changed a lot throughout the years: from a bad reputation area it recently had an important requalification and changed its social composition and now it’s one of the main young people night life centres in the city.
M
12
O RC UA PA ACQ L L’ DE
T O R R PI A R C O GEME LLE
M
P A R C O T A R E L L O
Buddhist worship places. In the early 2000s, the municipal administration launched the “Carmine Project” to promote requalification interventions, experiencing success in the social and building field, but failures from the commercial point of view. Today the area has become an important night life centre, so it’s not a surprise that Carmine won the prize as the best places in Italy, in the night life category in the “fun and pleasure guide 2013”. Besides the bars and pubs, in the area there is the Carmine Church, the Photography Museum collecting objects and photos from the past, the old fountain formerly used to do the laundry, shops and taverns keeping alive the flavours and culinary tradition of Brescia, giving to all the area an unique and fascinating atmosphere. Sitografia: http://www.bresciaoggi.it/stories/Home/397559_dalla_malavita_alla_ movidacos_cambiato_il_carmine/
Foto: Francesco Bandera - Città in tasca 2015
Contrada del Carmine has always been associated with soldiers and police, it is delimited by Porta Pile street and Saint Faustino street in the north, Battaglie street in the west, Mameli avenue in the south. Between the 12th and the 13th century it was an industrial and handcraft quarter, even if in the collective imagination it was seen as a disreputable place, linked to illegal activities as prostitution. Once in the area of the Carmine church, there was a little bridge that crossed the Bova torrent, now flowing in the subsoil, and an arch colonnade that now has only a column left, now included in the entrance of a pub. In the 90s the quarter has received immigrant populations, who, with their activities, have saved this area from the crisis. Nowadays it is a multi ethnic quarter, where orthodox, Waldensian, pentecostal and African churches coexist with Muslim, Sikh and
www.iluoghidelsociale.it - Via Salgari,43 - 25125 Brescia - info@iluoghidelsociale.it
L ac i t tá i n tas ca E u ro p e an Y o u t h S m a rt C i t y
THE PALLATA TOWER
M
T he Pallata Tower, well known as “Pallata”, is a medieval bricks tower, with a height of 32 metres, in the city centre of Brescia. M
12
O RC UA PA ACQ L L’ DE
T O R R PI A R C O GEME LLE
M
P A R C O T A R E L L O
others say that they are Garda and Iseo, two lakes. The tower was used, for a period, to contain the fund of the municipality. Near Corso Mameli there is a basrilief of Saint John and the eagle, near via Pace there is a tower with a marble of the bishop Apollonio, under the belfry there is a small church. In the small square near there, town criers with trumpets called citizens to listen to authorities. Sitografia: http://www.settemuse.it/viaggi_italia_lombardia/brescia_citta.html
Foto: Luigi Bandera - Brescia in Bici 2013
Foto: Franceso Bandera - Città in tasca 2015
The name Pallata comes from a distortion of the name Pallade, that refers to Athena, maybe because of the use of Roman material for the construction of the tower. The structure was built in 1254 in the Saint John district, it is square-shaped with Botticino marble and protects Saint John port, put on the first medieval city walls. It is the last surviving fortified structure of this city wall. In 1400, decorative elements were added, such as the clock, cotto battlements and a small tower. In 1497, in the front of the tower a fountain was built, from which wine flowed; fountain was the starting point for the race of harlots (from Pallata to Porta Bruciata, near Via Musei). In 1597, another fountain was put on the western side, with three marbles, the central one is Triton, the interpretation of the others is controversial: some people say that they are the representation of Mella and Garza, the two most important rivers in Brescia,
www.iluoghidelsociale.it - Via Salgari,43 - 25125 Brescia - info@iluoghidelsociale.it
L ac i t tá i n tas ca E u ro p e an Y o u t h S m a rt C i t y
REPUBLIC SQUARE
M
The square hosts a large circular fountain with gushes, and today is an important junction in the traffic, as it allows to reach the railway station, the city centre and the shopping mall “Freccia Rossa”.
M
12
O RC UA PA ACQ L L’ DE
T O R R PI A R C O GEME LLE
M
P A R C O T A R E L L O
Matteotti, once Corso Vittorio Emanuele) were written on white festoons. On the right side of the fountain, in addition to a timber storehouse, there was Corniani House, demolished in 1962. Other buildings look onto the square: a palace that hosted Fascist trade unions, and now hosting council offices, built in 1928, Togni Palace, built in 1931, and Folonari Palace, built in the 50s. Today the square hosts lots of celebrations, in particular when the national football team wins the world cup, or favourite team wins the championship, we celebrate with a swim in the fountain. The fountain, today, is a traffic circle and it is a crossing point to reach the city centre, the railway, bus and subway station and the shopping mall “Freccia Rossa”. Sitografia:
http://www.bresciastorica.it/foto-storica-stazione-ferroviaria-piazza-
Foto: Francesco Bandera - 150 ma non li dimostra
repubblica-brescia/
Foto: Francesco Bandera - 150 ma non li dimostra
Republic Square was born with the destruction of San Nazaro port, due to an explosion caused by a lightning in 1769. In 1909 it was called Rome Square, and then it took the current name. In 1864 the surrounding area was reorganized, but in 1889 it was demolished. In the same year, in the middle of the square, a small lake was dug , where people or carts stopped taking delighting in the cool water. In 1930 the small lake was replaced with a fountain, and in 1957 the current fountain with gushes was built. Long excise gates were in the sides of the fountain, they were built in 1852 and demolished in 1909, they were “monitored” by two big stone lions elevated on high and thick bases, in 1914 they were transferred to the entrance of the famous temporary zoo in the Castle of Brescia. On the gates the word “entrance” (on the left of the signal tower) and “exit” (in the front of current Corso Martiri della Libertà and Via
www.iluoghidelsociale.it - Via Salgari,43 - 25125 Brescia - info@iluoghidelsociale.it
L ac i t tá i n tas ca E u ro p e an Y o u t h S m a rt C i t y
TEBALDO BRUSATO SQUARE
M
The square, situated on the south of Musei street, is entitled to Tebaldo Brusato, leader of Guelphs in Brescia who, in 1311, stood opposite to the invasion of Enrico VII, king of Germans, and sacrificed himself because he did not want to declare the capitulation of the city.
M
12
O RC UA PA ACQ L L’ DE
T O R R PI A R C O GEME LLE
M
P A R C O T A R E L L O
Palace, and in 1853 was moved to Pescherie Nuove square, where it stayed until 1930, when the Pescherie quarter was demolished to build Vittoria Square. In that year the fountain was put in Tebaldo Brusato Square. In the modern era, the square was used as a car park, but in recent years, interventions of requalification were made and the square returned to be a meeting place. Today the square is a place for sociality and night life, in addition it hosts the Antiques Market and the BioMarket organized by the association La Buona Terra. Sitografia: http://www.turismobrescia.it/it/punto-d-interesse/piazza-tebaldo-brusato
Foto: Francesco Bandera - Città in tasca 2015
Foto: Francesco Bandera - 150 anni ma non li dimostra
In the medieval era, the square hosted the cultivated fields of the near cloister of Saint Giulia, and since 1173 it became the first public square in the city that could sell, and for this reason it was initially called “New Market”. Near there, many shops of merchants and artisans were built. During the years, it was not only a place for selling, but also house for aristocratic families were built, such as Cigola Palace, today Fenaroli Palace, Luzzago and Suardi Palaces. The name of the square changed in Tebaldo Brusato in honour of the leader of Guelphs who sacrificed himself not to leave the city under the control of Enrico VII, king of Germans. On the south-east of the square there is the archaeological site of the domus of Alberto Mario street, dug in the 80s, and not available for visits. The fountain in the square, when it was built in the sixteenth century, was put at the back of the Loggia
www.iluoghidelsociale.it - Via Salgari,43 - 25125 Brescia - info@iluoghidelsociale.it
L ac i t tá i n tas ca E u ro p e an Y o u t h S m a rt C i t y
LOGGIA square
M
The renaissance Loggia Square is the core of Brescia, because of its position and the presence of the Loggia, an important Venetian building. The square is sadly famous for the massacre during an antifascist demonstration, the 28th of May 1974.
M
12
O RC UA PA ACQ L L’ DE
T O R R PI A R C O GEME LLE
M
Loggia Square was planned in the Renaissance period, and the construction of the building was finished at the end of the XV century. The square has a rectangular shape, and it is delimited by Venetian buildings, such as the Loggia, built between 1492 and 1574, under the supervision of Filippo Grassi. The building became the seat of administration and its upholstery was destroyed by a fire that also burnt some paintings by Tiziano. All around the square there are sixteenth-century Venetian buildings, and in front of the Loggia there are renaissance colonnades, with a “Clock Tower” on top of them, called in this way because of the presence of an ancient clock (1546) that has, on its angles, copper angels, that are the representation of winds, and also there are two male bronze statues, called “i macc de le ure”, that mark daily hours by beating the hammer on the bell on the top of the clock. On the southern side of the square there is
the building of Monte di Pietà Vecchio, that has, on its lower part, a Venetian small loggia divided into two arches, and its main facade is decorated with Roman inscriptions. On the upper part of the building there is a small loggia with 7 small arches and a balcony, probably used as a pulpit. At north-east, there is the monument to Beautiful Italy, built in 1864 in substitution of the Venetian column with Saint Mark’s lion on the top, destroyed by the revolutionaries in 1797. The square is sadly known because of the massacre on 28th May 1974: during an antifascist demonstration 8 people were killed and 102 injured. Today the square hosts lots of events and concerts, in particular in summer. Sitografia: http://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/architetture/schede/LMD80-00117/
Foto: Stefania Cotti Piccinelli - Pioggia
Foto: Miriam Kaldas – “Un pirlo per cortesia” “Campari o Aperol?”
P A R C O T A R E L L O
www.iluoghidelsociale.it - Via Salgari,43 - 25125 Brescia - info@iluoghidelsociale.it
L ac i t tá i n tas ca E u ro p e an Y o u t h S m a rt C i t y
THE MADDALENA MOUNT
M
Called “Home mountain” by the citizens of Brescia, the peak of Maddalena Mount is 874 metres a.s.l. It is a natural reserve hosting more than 800 plant and amphibious species and it is populated in particular by foxes, badgers, weasels, martens and lots of insects.
M
12
O RC UA PA ACQ L L’ DE
T O R R PI A R C O GEME LLE
M
P A R C O T A R E L L O
closed to public, the cable car was used as a school for the update of handlers who worked with cable-way installations. In the spring of ‘75, in the occasion of the Tour of Italy (the most famous Italian bike race), the cable car transported some spectators from the mount to the city,but in the summer of 1986, due to its decline, it was dismantled. A refuge was built and then also lots of taverns were built, some of them with bocce courts that attracted enthusiastic players. The principal access to the mountain is the Panoramica street, the secondary ways are Nave, Mompiano, Costalunga, S.Eufemia, Botticino, S. Gallo and the Ronchi: they reach different points of the mount. Sitografia: http://www.lauracastelletti.it/index.php/rivogliamo-la-funivia-dellamaddalena-ha-ampio-seguito-di-francesco-rusconi-giribaudi/
Foto: Laura Nai - Peace
Foto: Raffalele Fino - Monte Maddalena
Mount Maddalena is also called “the roof of Brescia” and with its 874 metres a.s.l overlooking Brescia. Its original name was Denno mount, but the actual name derives from the name of the Saint in honour of whom a church was built by some hermits on the top of the hill between 13th and 14th century and later abandoned in the 15th century. From the 14th century, on the lower slopes, cultivation areas and the first roccolo developed. In order to give tourist value to the area, in 1955,a cable car opened with the segment Bornata-Cavrelle that linked Bornata street to the Mount, but in 1969 it made its last route. Thanks to it, many young and old citizens experimented for the first time an “airborne” way of travel and could reach the mount for a healthy walk in the greenery. The routes had an affordable price: 200 liras for round, each cabin had 33 seats. In the early 70s, even if it was
www.iluoghidelsociale.it - Via Salgari,43 - 25125 Brescia - info@iluoghidelsociale.it
L ac i t tá i n tas ca E u ro p e an Y o u t h S m a rt C i t y
FOSSA BAGNI
M
Fossa Bagni is a well-known car park. During the 19th and the 20th century it was the first municipal baths resort, composed by two pools, a free one, for the poor people and the other with paid admission with dressing rooms and showers.
M
12
O RC UA PA ACQ L L’ DE
T O R R PI A R C O GEME LLE
M
P A R C O T A R E L L O
the fortified tower of the Castle, easily reachable by walk from Fossa Bagni. Next to the pools, in the early of the 20th century, an ice skating rink was also built. The baths opened in the summer season and were very frequented. Afterwards two other bath resorts opened in Brescia: one administrated by Spedali Civili in Moretto street, and the other privately run in the current Gramsci street. The pools remained open till the 70s. Nowadays Fossa Bagni is a multi-floor car-park, reachable by walk from the city centre, the castle and the Saint Faustino metro station. Sitografia: http://www.bresciastorica.it/foto-storica-piscina-municipale-fossa-bagni/
Foto: Francesco Bandera - Fossa Bagni
Foto: Jacopo Nicolè - Veduta dal Castello
Fossa Bagni, during the 19th and the 20th century was the first municipal baths resort. In that period, using water for health purposes became a common habit not only in the private sphere but also in the public one. Fossa Bagni was inaugurated on the 19th of July 1882. At the time a very small number of houses was provided with a bath and the Fossa Bagni was welcomed by the citizens with great enthusiasm. The resort was composed by two big pools, in tank or in tub, with the water of the Celato river, along which in the early 18th century there were many mills, thanks to the water abundance in Brescia. The Fossa was formed by two pools: a free one, for the poor people, and the other with paid admission with 70 dressing rooms and showers. The structure was well studied, to symbolize a sort of sea and a shore of the city, under the look of
www.iluoghidelsociale.it - Via Salgari,43 - 25125 Brescia - info@iluoghidelsociale.it
L ac i t tá i n tas ca E u ro p e an Y o u t h S m a rt C i t y
CINEMAS IN BRESCIA For the lovers of cinematography, the atmosphere is vital, throughout the city centre streets it is possible to find old times cinemas, where you can appreciate, throughout the year, unpublished shows, revisited films and new releases.
Foto: archivio fotografico/storico CTS Brescia
In 1896 Brescia opened its first extemporaneous movie theatre in the gym called “Forza e Costanza” in Cavallotti street. “Roi Soleil” (called “Sun” in the fascist period) opened in 1907 in Corso Palestro and “Edison” situated in Corso Magenta could be considered as the first real cinemas. One year later, where now there is a branch of Deutsche Bank, opened the “Salon Parisien” (renamed “Cinema Magenta”) and also the “Società Cinema Brescia”. Since 1911 movies were played from 14 pm till midnight with a cost between 20 and 50 liras and each movie theatre had piano players and subtitles were shouted by the audience. Other cinemas where the “Lùmière” in Saint Faustino street (renamed “Trento”), the “Vittoria” in Carmine area, the “Cremona” (built in the 20s, specialized in western films and in series), the “Crociera”, the “Centrale” in Zanardelli street, the “Garibaldi” and the “Supercinema” in Corso Garibaldi, that was still in activity till the early 2000s. The “Palazzo” in Vittoria square, destroyed by the bombardments, was the only one where D’Annunzio entered, in 1947 it was replaced
by the “Adria”, and in 1948 another cinema opened in this area and was called “Astra”. In Brescia there were also “red lights” cinemas, like the “Moderno” that now hosts the police station “Carmine”, the “Obiter” in Solferino street, that nowadays is a showroom of an estate agency and the “Eden” in Bixio Street. Other cinemas were the “Aquiletta” (today the Auditorium Saint Barnaba), the “Odeon” in Porcellaga street (today seat of a supermarket), the “Brixia” in S. Faustino street (today one of the university of Brescia section), the “Rik” and the “Nuovo” in Lamarmora quarter. The films were also played in the theatres, such as the “Sociale” and the “Grande”. Nowadays the survivors are the “ Moretto” and the “Sociale” in the city centre and the “Metropol” in Galilei street. The “internal” cinemas are also important: “Collegio Arici”, with the movie theatre of the same name in Trieste street, then changed in “Ambra” and now it is become the Auditorium of the Catholic University, and the “Pace” with its “Attualità-Pace”. Sitografia: http://www.giornaledibrescia.it/in-citta/dal-roi-soleil-all-aquiletta-le-salesenza-pi%C3%B9-luce-1.370980
www.iluoghidelsociale.it - Via Salgari,43 - 25125 Brescia - info@iluoghidelsociale.it
L ac i t tá i n tas ca E u ro p e an Y o u t h S m a rt C i t y
BORGO WÜhRER
M
Modern district in Brescia, situated in the Bornata area, Borgo Wührer has many pubs for young people, and was seat for Wührer brewery. M
12
O RC UA PA ACQ L L’ DE
T O R R PI A R C O GEME LLE
M
P A R C O T A R E L L O
that once crossed the three gates of the factory link the “village” with Bornata street. The area has car parks and cycling lanes. The quarter is particularly luxurious and modern, and it is seen as an ideal extension of the city centre. Today, the “village” is the hangout on Friday and Saturday nights of young people, thanks to many pubs, and it has also many important offices.
Foto: Francesco Bandera - Borgo Wührer
Sitografia: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borgo_W%C3%BChrer
Foto: Francesco Bandera - Borgo Wührer
Borgo Wührer is a modern district in Brescia, it is situated where once there was the seat of the well-known Wührer beer factory, even if the first headquarter was in Trieste street. The factory was founded by Franz Xaver Wührer in 1829. His son, Pietro Wührer, in 1889, built a modern factory in Bornata area. The construction finished in 1895, but the structure was enlarged until 1946, when it took current features. In the 80s the brand was sold to Peroni, that, later, closed the factory in Brescia. The area remained unused until 2001, when it was recovered. A structural reconversion followed, the structure of the factory was preserved, and, there, some flats and shops were built. The quarter was divided into 2 areas: one commercial, the other one residential. Borgo Wührer was thought to be a real self-sufficient “village”, with all the essential services and separated from the rest of the city by the old enclosure of the factory. Streets
www.iluoghidelsociale.it - Via Salgari,43 - 25125 Brescia - info@iluoghidelsociale.it
5
3
M
2
M
12
O RC UA PA ’ACQ LL DE
4 T O R R PI A R C O GEME LLE
1
M
7
P A R C O T A R E L L O
6 1
6 Comitato di Brescia
A.I.C.S. (Associazione Italiana Cultura Sport) Via Zara, 66 - 25127 Brescia Tel. 030 222755 www.aicsbrescia.it
CTG LONGOBARDIA (Centro Turistico Giovanile) Via San Nicola, 6 25030 Erbusco (Brescia)
4 2 A.R.C.I. (Associazione Ricreativa Culturale Italiana) Via Villa Glori, 10b - 25125 Brescia Tel. 030 2410604 www.arcibrescia.it
C.T.A. (Centro Turistico Acli) Via Spalto San Marco, 37f - 25121 Brescia Tel. 030 44826 www.aclibresciane.it
Forum del Terzo Settore segreteria@forumterzosettorebs.it www.forumterzosettorebs.it Forum del Turismo Sociale info@iluoghiedelsociale.it www.iluoghidelsociale.it Centro Servizi del Volontariato info@csvbs.it www.csvbs.it Via Salgari, 43/b - Brescia Tel. 030 2284900
5 3 ARCIRAGAZZI Via Luciano Manara 5/a - Brescia Tel. 030 3737073 www.arciragazzibrescia.it
7 C.T.S. (Centro Turistico Studentesco e Giovanile) Via Nicolò Tommaseo, 2/A - 25128 Brescia Tel. 030 41889 www.youthpoint.eu
U.I.S.P. (Unione Italiana Sport per Tutti) Via B. Maggi, 9 - 25124 Brescia Tel. 030 47191