Brescia: The Gateway City to the Northern Italian Lakes

I will admit- I only booked to stay in Brescia because I had seen it is the station where you change for trains between Bergamo and both stations in Lake Garda and Lake Iseo.

I had five days in Lombardia in the north of Italy and wanted to see both of those lakes (I had been to Lake Como before) so thought Brescia would make a good base. Brescia is the second-largest city in Lombardia after Milano with a population of around 200,000.

The train from Bergamo Centrale to Brescia FS takes around 55 minutes and costs under £5!

Brescia is quite a big city and has a really efficient metro system which is always on time and very cheap. You buy tickets at the kiosks in the stations and you must remember to validate them so then your ticket is valid for the next 90 minutes across the main Zones (1&2). These tickets cost something like 1 euro 40.

Don't make the initial mistake I made- do not stay near Brescia RS train station. I had booked three nights at a B&B over the road from the station thinking it would make for a good base for catching trains to Garda and Iseo but there is no need. Brescia's metro system is so fast and reliable that it is far more advisable to stay in Vittoria, the central piazza area.

The metro between Brescia FS and Vittoria was so quick and cheap, I didn't think anything of it on day one but the night changed all of that.

There were odd characters congregating outside my hotel and although they didn't speak to me when I passed by to enter the building, the nuisance was how they talked (shouted) outside until gone 1am, then resumed from 6am onwards.

I didn't get a wink of sleep that night due to that first noise until 1am then internal noise in the B&B from what must be a 100-year-old vending machine that buzzed louder than a thousand bees all night and paper-thin walls meant I could hear guests talking all night, every door slammed etc... I won't name the hotel here but all I will say is do not stay near Brescia FS train station.

Stay in Vittoria. I checked out the next morning then booked a second hotel (Hotel Vittoria- highly recommend!) for my remaining nights. 

I had done my research for food local to Brescia and when I first arrived in the city from Bergamo, I was ready for a sit down and something to eat, but I had not realised the time and the fact the restaurants close for a few hours in the middle of the day here.

Chat GPT came in really useful in this instance and let me know of one place I'd find open: Osteria del Mercanti, on Via Delle Battaglie. I was very glad, I needed a moment to sit and eat something for energy to continue walking around with my luggage on my shoulder until hotel check-in time.

The dish of Brescia is casoncelli alla bresciana con burro e salvia; a shape similar to ravioli filled with Brescian cheese dressed with butter and crispy sage. I urge you to order this if you are anywhere in Lombardia but especially if you find yourself in Brescia.

Upon entering the Osteria, I was warmly greeted by several women running the place, who showed me to a table and did not respond to me in English when I asked if there was room for one in Italian.

I have long been a proponent of dining alone and will do so anywhere but there are places where I have felt slightly uncomfortable doing so (Vienna is one I particularly remember) but Italians place so much value on the experience of eating and drinking that I have never really been made to feel strange for eating alone.

Still, there are some places that feel cosier to do so than others, where you aren't shoved in the dark corner seat, where your order counts as much as the table of 12. 

Osteria dei Mercanti was one of those places you feel so comfortable in, you want to reliably return knowing what you will get if you go.

I ordered a good glass of Marzemino from Bergamo which  you can see in the above photo, I didn't even let settle after the waitress placed it down on my table as I wanted to taste the casoncelli while it was hot, no time to waste.

The wine was rich but not overbearing for the delicate flavours in the pasta, but had enough slight smokiness to bring out the brown butter and crispy sage.

It was warmish outside but with a slight coolness to the air, an Italian 20 degrees.

Believe me, the photo does not do the dish justice. It was the perfect thing to eat when tired, hungry, and warm but still chilly enough to reach for your jacket. 

The silky butter sauce tasted nutty and caramelised, while the hint of sage and Grana Padang shavings gave just enough bite to make it lively. It was delightful, and only cost something like 10 euros. Swoon.

After checking into my dismal first hotel and leaving my bags and freshening up, I got the metro back into the centre and went for a walk.

Colle Cidneo, or the Cidneo hills, is an easy climb in simple trainers to a viewpoint over the city and surrounding hills. This was early April and as I say, it was warm but not hot, with some moments of chilliness passing through on a breeze.

The walk up the hill was pleasant and easy, and after a LONG winter here in Liverpool, it was so lovely to finally feel the sun on my face as I got up to the viewpoint and looked out over the city. It's funny how you can take this feeling for granted in the height of summer, which I love, but the first hit of it in early spring is such a gift.

Then next day, I headed to Lake Garda (click here to read about this stunningly beautiful place) so I will cut forward to the next evening when I was back in Brescia.

After a dismal sleep the night before, I had powered through on strong espresso and surprisingly, didn't feel too tired as I spent the day at the lake.

However, I was SO glad to check in to my new hotel- Hotel Vittoria.

I pushed through the classic brass revolving doors to the air-conditioned lobby area replete with a grand chandelier. The bedroom was everything I could have asked for the night before when tossing and turning in that noisy B&B near the train station. The bed was massive and super comfortable with a little Juliet balcony overlooking a courtyard.. The bathroom was spacious with a fantastic shower and above all, I could hear no noise from inside the hotel or from outdoors. Bliss.

After putting my bags in and having a rest, I headed towards a restaurant I had read about on Trip Advisor called Osteria ai Bianchi on Via Gasparo Da Solò. I had already selected what I would be ordering from the menu online.

The vibe inside was chilled with friendly waiters who make you feel really welcome which is always appreciated when dining solo. I love it, I tend to bring a book along whilst having a drink which I put away once food arrives. I enjoyed being there, just hearing cheerful Italian from groups nearby while the waiters had a laugh joking with each other and customers.

I ordered this delight: Tagliolini con pere.

Udon noodle-like pasta in a silky sauce of pear and gorgonzola with caramelised onion. Stunning!

Afterwards, I went for a walk as the sky was slowly becoming darker. 

The main square in the centre of Brescia is called Piazza della Loggia- a symbolic place of both the Renaissance period and Venetian rule over Brescia which spanned over four centuries from 1426 until 1797. The French, under Napoleon, had also ruled Brescia for some years around this period, with the city changing hands between the French and Venetians.

The Palazzo della Loggia, Brescia's town hall, is a beautiful example of the Renaissance influence on this city.

Today, bars and restaurants line the piazza, which were very cosy and inviting with their flame-throwing patio heaters. 

It was Easter weekend, and it was lively but so calm and civilised for a Saturday night. The next day, it turned out that the Bresciani were saving themselves for Easter Sunday, drinking in the street in the afternoon into the evening, following the morning parades.

How gorgeous!

The evening is when Brescia dons its gladrags and looks considerably more glam than during the daytime. 

Piazza della Loggia is illuminated with table lamps and the patio heaters I mentioned before, with the ornate golden clock tower and mint-green duomo highlighted in the soft light.

Before I round off this blog entry, I will leave things on one last photo. 

Brescia's cathedral is sort of two cathedrals in one: Duomo Vecchio and Duomo Nuovo.

The former was built around 1100 in Romanesque style, whereas the latter was finished to a Baroque style in 1825 and is now the third-highest cathedral in Italy. The contrast between stone and marble is striking and I had to check my understanding that the building(s) in front of me were the one site (Piazza Paolo VI) and that I didn't have to travel to another site to see the other.