Weekend in Brescia

Renaissance square with the Loggia palace, Venetian-style arcades, and the Torre dell’Orologio clock tower. The square is free to walk through and is the city's main social hub.

Tip: Check the clock at the top of the hour—two bronze figures (the 'Màcc de le óre') strike the bell. Grab a coffee from the bar under the arcades for under €2 and watch locals pass.

Venetian Renaissance square with a clock tower and arcaded porticoes. Watch the mechanical figures strike the hour from the Loggia clock.

Tip: Visit around 10am when the cafés open and the morning sun lights the white stone.

A elegant Renaissance square with the Palazzo della Loggia, Venetian-style colonnades, and a striking clock tower.

Tip: Sit at the café on the north side for a coffee — it’s the best view of the tower’s animated figures at noon.

A graceful Renaissance square with a Venetian-style clock tower and porticoed buildings, free to walk through and a hub for local life.

Tip: Check out the stone cannonball stuck in the clock tower façade from a 16th-century siege; best seen late afternoon when the light hits the carvings.

A well-preserved Roman temple ruins from 73 AD, right in the city centre. The site can be viewed from the street for free; interior access requires a ticket from the adjacent museum.

Tip: Best view is from the small piazza in front – the columns and podium are still impressive. The ticket for the attached museum also covers the temple interior and the Roman theatre.

Well-preserved Roman temple from 73 AD, originally dedicated to Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva. The portico and cellae are visible from the street; free to walk around the exterior and courtyard.

Tip: Go at dusk when the floodlights reveal the detail on the Corinthian columns—no entry fee needed for the best sight.

Roman temple ruins from 73 AD, with original columns and a small museum of artifacts. You can walk around the exterior for free; the museum inside costs a few euros.

Tip: Visit on the first Sunday of the month when the museum is free. Otherwise, the exterior alone is worth a 10-minute stop, especially at sunset.

A guided tour of Roman-era underground tunnels and ruins beneath the city, including the Capitolium and a stretch of Roman street.

Tip: Free only on the first Sunday of each month, but you must book in advance via the tourism office. Only 15 places per tour – book at least a week ahead.

Roman temple ruins from 73 AD, now a UNESCO site. You can see the original cellars and columns from the archaeological path outside the museum, free of charge.

Tip: Walk around the back of the Santa Giulia museum to find the best view of the temple from the grassy slope.

A UNESCO-listed former monastery complex with a cloister, Roman ruins, and medieval frescoes. The main museum costs €4, but the cloister and courtyard are free to enter.

Tip: Walk through the cloister to see the exposed Roman street and floor mosaics without paying. The museum’s ticket office gives you a free map of the surrounding Roman area.