Tom`s travels: Saló & Brescia (28/06/2016)

I decided to join my aunt who had to travel for work in the direction of Brescia. The first stop she had to make was in Desenzano del Garda; however it was a quick one so I just sat on a bench to wait. Next we stopped in Saló, I had around 1 hour so I decided to walk around and visit this little yet famous town. Though famous for being the site during WWII of the Italian Social Republic, a continuation of the Fascist government, it is also known for having a nice city center. Getting off the car I started my walk from the eastern end of town, it was very pleasant as the lakeside had a nice path with an amazing view across the lake. I then entered the Duomo, built in a late gothic style during the 15th century, though the facade remains unfinished. The interior was quite nice with a few relatively important paintings and some frescoes here and there. Walking on through lovely medieval and renaissance streets, I came back down on the waterfront and admired some really nice palaces, no wonder so many German tourists come to this part of Italy to spend their holidays. I then reached the western end of town where the Clock tower and city gate stood, just next to it I entered the Church of the Visitazione, with a pretty interior. I then crossed back through the whole town center, enjoying the sun and the pretty streets full of people, eventually reaching the far eastern end, where the Carmine gate is located and back in the car headed for Brescia. After a nice lunch in Brescia, I had a few hours to visit at least a few monuments in the city. So my aunt dropped me off in Piazzale Arnaldo, and I started my walk towards the main square. Once I reached Piazza Paolo VI, also named Piazza Duomo, I was struck by the beauty of it, with a nice fountain at its center, and the two impressive Cathedrals on its eastern side. Only the New Cathedral was open, as it was still lunch time, so I decided to see this one at least. Though named New, the Cathedral dates to the 17th century and is considered new as the Old one dates to much earlier. The inside was immense and full of light, with an incredible cupola and several art pieces around. Right next to the Cathedrals, stands the Broletto, the historic term for town hall in the region of Lombardy, which housed for centuries and still does now the civic government office of the city. The building dates to the 13th century, made of stone in the Romanesque tower, it also features a tower(54m), the courtyard though was later modified so parts of it date to other centuries such as its northern side which has a baroque loggia. I then continued on and reached the beautiful Piazza della Loggia, with the peculiar Palazzo della Loggia, which resembles so much the Basilica Palladiana in Vicenza. In fact the palace dates to the 15th-16th centuries and its construction was also overseen by Palladio and Sansovino, in addition the roof, though added in the early 20th century to replace a provisional wood covering added in the 18th century, is meant to replicate how it looked during the 16th century. Under the palace's arches stands the so called Lodoiga, a 16th century statue of a woman, that once served as a type of letterbox where citizens could attach letters criticizing the local government. On the other side of the square stands a long elegant portico, with the venetian astronomical clock tower, resembling the one in Saint Mark's square in Venice. Like in Venice, on top of the tower stand two figures, the so called Macc de le ure, the madmen of the hours, which bang a bell signaling the time. Moving on I passed by and entered the Church of Santa Maria della Caritá, which had an incredible baroque interior, full of lavish marbles and sculptures. Not far I reached the monumental area of the Roman Forum, which is considered to be the best preserved group of roman public buildings in northern Italy. I entered the archaeological site (ticket was 4,5 reduced price) and began the tour of the underground republican sanctuary, dating to the 1st century b,c, with amazing mosaic floor and wall frescoes comparable to those in Pompeii. Then back up and out to see the Capitolium dating to 73 a.d., the primary temple of the roman city, dedicated to the Capitoline Triad dating to 73 a.d, with many columns still standing and a dedication to emperor Vespasian. Next to that was the roman theatre, one of the largest in northern Italy, but still mostly underground and below other buildings. Once outside, a little further back towards the main square, I entered the Palazzo Martinengo Cesaresco, which hosted a small archaeological visit below the ground floor, with more roman ruins also belonging to the forum.
Heading back to the main square I found the Old Cathedral open, so decided to enter it. Built in the 10th century in the Romanesque style and a circular shape, it holds several interesting pieces of art, and has a really old crypt dating to the 6th century. My aunt then called me and I had to head back to the car, and while walking, I stopped to admire and take a picture of the Golden Bull, a small golden statue of a bull hanging from a wall in Via Trieste, probably put up there during the 19th century by a butcher who had become rich thanks to cattle meat. I then reached Piazzale Arnaldo once again, where I got back in the car headed home.