Plan a pit stop in this Italian city. With great shopping, stylish antiques and a relaxed vibe, it’s a rich mix of old and new, says Amanda Robinson

BRESCIAExploring…

If classic cars are your thing, you’ll recognise the name Brescia as the end point of the Mille Miglia road rally,

but otherwise it perhaps hasn’t registered on your ‘Italian cities to visit’ bucket list. Sprawled on the broad Padano plain and bordered on three sides by beautiful lakes, it is the second largest city in Lombardy at the intersection of two major historic corridors connecting France to Austria, and Germany and central Europe to Rome.

With today’s need for speed, the city is often overlooked on these busy intercity routes but its geographical location has guaranteed it an illustrious past and not one but two UNESCO world heritage sites (whc.unesco.org). Founded by the Gauls and then a city of the Roman Empire, Brescia offers impressive architecture wherever you turn, telling of the rise and fall of successive powers and factions.

From the heartThe industrial sprawl on the outskirts of the city gives way to an attractive pedestrian zone at its heart, and exploring it is an utter delight. Head to the main tourist office in Via Trieste (there’s also one at the station) and you’ll find no end of ideas to get the most from your visit – whether you’re a culture vulture, are interested in history or just love to shop. If you want to soak up the vibrant urban atmosphere, you’ll enjoy the many cafes, high fashion boutiques, antiques shops and fine restaurants dotted around the elegant piazzas of the centre.

Walking is an enjoyable way to experience the sights of this compact city centre, which include well-preserved Roman buildings, monuments, cathedrals and a castle. If you want to travel further afield within the city’s environs, the recently built single line metro (metropolitana) is handy.

Shop in styleThe wide medieval piazzas and streets are all built around the original Roman roads, making it easy to get your bearings. For the best retail therapy, head to the area of the 15th-century Piazza della Loggia, where chic shoe shops and designer boutiques line the streets. The antiques quarter is around Via Trieste and Via Tosio, with several antiques shops and galleries along Via Musei too. If you like a good antiques market, plan your trip around the second weekend of any month (except July and August) for the mercatino dell’antiquariato in the porticos of Piazza della Vittoria. It’s on a grand scale and well worth a visit. Make sure you also see the UNESCO-listed San Salvatore-Santa Giulia complex (bresciamusei.com) in Via Musei: it showcases some of the most important artistic treasures from the city’s

long history. Just alongside, you’ll find the Roman centre of the city and the impressive remains of the Capitoline Temple and amphitheatre that lay hidden in the gardens of a noble palazzo until the 19th century.

Eat like a localThe area is blessed with an abundance of tempting local produce and wines. Pasta lovers should seek out casoncelli – the regional variation on ravioli. If you’ve a taste for cheese, don’t miss the pungent Bagòss from nearby Bagolino, which is delicious served with chutney (mostarda) or in the regional fondue. You’ll eat well in the town, from the fine dining style of restaurants such as Michelin-starred La Sosta (Via S Martino della Battaglia 20; lasosta.it), whose lake fish menu is outstanding, to the more rustic fare of trattorie such as Urbana Mangiafuoco (Via Calzavellia 3a;

trattoriamangiafuoco.it). The mecca for all things foodie is Buonissimo (Corso Mameli 23; buonissimo-store.it). At first glance it looks like just a supermarket but downstairs is a restaurant popular with locals.

Costumes and corkscrewsMusei Mazzucchelli (Via G Mazzucchelli 2; museimazzucchelli.it) is a villa you must not miss. Just a 20-minute drive from Brescia, this neo-Palladian building houses three antiques collections – costume and fashion (with a spectacular annual vintage costume exhibition and sale), household memorabilia and, last but not least, a museum dedicated to wine, with the largest collection of corkscrews you’ll ever see.

facing page, from left The San Faustino and Giovita fair takes place every February; Fava Antichità, an intriguing antiques shop at nearby Lake Iseo; enjoy world-class opera, ballet or theatre at Brescia’s Teatro Grande this page, clockwise from right The impressive architecture of Santa Giulia museum; Villa Mazzucchelli has a wonderful costume collection; the Capitoline Temple is one of the town’s many Roman monuments; the centre of Brescia is easily explored on foot

Turn the page to discover the best vintage and antiques boutiques that Brescia has to offer…

need to knowHOW TO GET THEREEasyJet flies to Milan Malpensa from Gatwick, Luton and Stansted and Ryanair flies to Milan Bergamo from Bristol, Manchester, Stansted, Gatwick and Birmingham. From the Milan area, you can reach Brescia by car or train (trenitalia.it).

WHERE TO STAYH&A stayed at Hotel Vittoria (Via X Giornate, 20; hotelvittoria.com), an elegant art nouveau-style hotel next to the Duomo Nuovo cathedral in the pedestrian centre of Brescia and just 200m from the Vittoria metro station.

USEFUL INFORMATIONFor more about visiting Brescia, go to bresciatourism.it/en.

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BRESCIA’SBEST-KEPT SECRETS

1. ARCHè Corso Magenta 32/a; arche-store.com

Cinema seats, industrial lamps and letterpress trays crammed with wooden type lure you into Archè. If shabby chic is more your thing, that’s covered too – think French wall sconces, painted furniture and shutters. Wall maps, religious figurines and glass domes complete the mix. You can tell that the owners travel far and wide through Europe to source their stock.

2. OPPOSITE Antico Moderno Via Trieste 39A; opposite.it

Owner Eugenio Baresi will talk enthusiastically about his varied collections – in English and French as well as Italian. He has been in the business for many years and knows what he’s talking about when it comes to European 17th-century art and textiles, contemporary wood carvings and fine furniture. He enjoys juxtaposing the modern

Mille MigliaWith much flourish and fanfare, this glamorous classic car rally begins and ends in Brescia. It’s open to vehicles built between 1927 and 1957 and takes place over three days in May every year, with entrants driving on open roads to Rome and back. The city is packed with fans from all over the world and there is a great carnival atmosphere as the most amazing line-up of Alfa Romeos, Lancias, Aston Martins, Jaguars and more snakes through the streets before the rally gets under way. If you can’t be there in May, the museum dedicated to the race is open all year round. Discover the history and legends of the rally and marvel at the classic cars and other automotive exhibits. millemiglia.it

Retro and avant-garde treasures at Cronos

From glass domes to industrial chic at Archè

Luca at the Borelli family’s Antichità Santa Giulia

and the antique and does so with aplomb. He also has an amazing selection of antique lace.

3. ANTICHITÀ SANTA GIULIA (near Santa Giulia Museum)Via Musei 50/c

Take a break from the historic gems of the Santa Giulia Museum to visit the Borellis’ antiques showroom opposite,

housed in the original stables of the monastery that is now the museum. This family-run business focuses on Italian furniture, objets and art from the 15th to 17th centuries, including magnificent 17th-century Lombardy safes and the most delicately wrought Tuscan ironwork you’ll ever see. There are rare pieces at the high end, with premium prices, for the serious collector.

4. Studio LB Contemporary ArtVia Musei, 50/c; studiolb.eu

Run by Luca, the son of Mr Borelli Sr (see above), this brightly lit studio is a stone’s

throw down Via Musei from the museum. Well schooled in his appreciation of fine antiques, Luca’s passion is for modern art. He has gathered work from contemporary artists working in every kind of media and showcases it in a beautiful gallery space. It’s affordable art for the serious investor.

5. CRONOS Galleria Duomo 1; photo-shopping.it/cronos

Just off the Piazza della Loggia, this glass-fronted vintage store is centrally placed. Founded in 1971 by theatre director Aldo Engheben, its interior reflects

7. FAVA ANTICHITÀP Statuto 2, Lake Iseo; favaantichita.com

An hour away is Iseo, on the shore of the lake of the same name, and it’s here you’ll find the antiques shop of Mario Fava. Founded in

1961, his compact shop is easily spotted in the main square. It is crammed with 17th-century wooden sculptures, bronzes, paintings, vintage books, furniture, smaller finds such as spectacles and other memorabilia, as well as modern ceramics from designers including Fornasetti.

8. L’ARCADIAVia Carlo Cattaneo 34

As featured in the pages of Italian Vogue, this is a chic haven of classic 1950–60s jewellery, handbags, lamps and other decorative treasures. The owner, Eleonora Baldi, sources elegant vintage pieces from her frequent trips to Paris and New York – you’ll discover everything from delicate 1950s clutches decorated with pearls to brightly coloured pop art earrings dating from the flower power era. This is the go-to shop for local fashionistas as well as visitors to the city.

Mid-century gems on display at Opa

his involvement with the avant-garde, an eclectic mix of curios, vintage ceramics, ethnic jewellery and retro finds covering every available inch. Sift through the cornucopia to unearth treasures such as antique globes, porcelain dolls, lamps, chandeliers, crystal balls and corals. 

6. OPA – Factory Art GalleryContrada del Carmine 3 (in front of the Church Santa Maria del Carmine); facebook.com/opa.vintage

You’ll need to venture further out of the city centre for this box of delights, a store in true vintage flea-market style. It has fine Italian Soffiati glassware and mid-century ceramics from the 1930s–60s. For music fans looking to stock up on the icons of 1960s–70s rock, there’s an amazing collection of vinyl. Opa also has its own upcycled furniture with themed découpage (we saw rock albums and 1940s-50s cartoons).

Fava Antichità at Lake Iseo

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