TRAVEL

facing page, from left

The San Faustino and
Giovita fair takes place
every February; Fava
Antichit, an intriguing
antiques shop at nearby
Lake Iseo; enjoy world-class
opera, ballet or theatre at
Brescias 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 towns
many Roman monuments;
the centre of Brescia is
easily explored on foot

Exploring

BRESCIA

Plan a pit stop in this Italian city. With great

shopping, stylish antiques and a relaxed vibe, its a
rich mix of old and new, says Amanda Robinson

120 H&A MARCH 2015

From the heart

Shop in style

The 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 (theres also one at the station)
and youll find no end of ideas to get the
most from your visit whether youre a
culture vulture, are interested in history
or just love to shop. If you want to soak up
the vibrant urban atmosphere, youll 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 citys
environs, the recently built single line metro
(metropolitana) is handy.

The 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
dellantiquariato in the porticos of Piazza
della Vittoria. Its 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 citys

ROBERTO RICCA; AMANDA ROBINSON

f classic cars are your thing, youll

recognise the name Brescia as the end
point of the Mille Miglia road rally,
but otherwise it perhaps hasnt 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 todays 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.

need to know

long history. Just alongside, youll 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.

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.

Eat like a local

Costumes and corkscrews

The area is blessed with an abundance of

tempting local produce and wines. Pasta
lovers should seek out casoncelli the
regional variation on ravioli. If youve a taste
for cheese, dont miss the pungent Bagss
from nearby Bagolino, which is delicious
served with chutney (mostarda) or in the
regional fondue. Youll 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;

Musei Mazzucchelli (Via G Mazzucchelli2;

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 youll ever see.
Turn the page to discover the best
vintage and antiques boutiques that
Brescia has to offer

HOW TO GET THERE

EasyJet 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 STAY
H&A stayed at Hotel Vittoria
(Via X Giornate, 20; hotelvittoria.
com), an elegant art nouveaustyle hotel next to the Duomo
Nuovo cathedral in the
pedestrian centre of Brescia
and just 200m from the Vittoria
metro station.
USEFUL INFORMATION
For more about visiting Brescia,
go to bresciatourism.it/en.

MARCH 2015 H&A 121

BRESCIAS
BEST-KEPT SECRETS
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 youll ever see.
There are rare pieces at the
high end, with premium prices,
for the serious collector.
4. Studio LB
Contemporary Art
Via Musei, 50/c; studiolb.eu
Run by Luca, the son of
MrBorelli Sr (see above), this
brightly lit studio is a stones
Mid-century gems
on display at Opa

1. ARCH
Corso Magenta 32/a;
arche-store.com
Cinema seats, industrial lamps
and letterpress trays crammed
with wooden type lure you into
Arch. If shabby chic is more
your thing, thats 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 hes
talking about when it comes to
European 17th-century art and
textiles, contemporary wood
carvings and fine furniture. He
enjoys juxtaposing the modern

122 H&A MARCH 2015

TRAVEL

Fava Antichit
at Lake Iseo

throw down Via Musei from the

museum. Well schooled in his
appreciation of fine antiques,
Lucas 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. Its affordable art
for the serious investor.

and the antique and does so

with aplomb. He also has an
amazing selection of antique lace.

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

3. ANTICHIT SANTA GIULIA

(near Santa Giulia
Museum)
Via Musei 50/c

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

Take a break from the historic

gems of the Santa Giulia
Museum to visit the Borellis
antiques showroom opposite,

Luca at the Borelli

familys Antichit
Santa Giulia

Mille Miglia
With much flourish and fanfare, this glamorous
classic car rally begins and ends in Brescia. Its
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 cant 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

From glass domes to

industrial chic at Arch

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 Gallery
Contrada del Carmine 3
(in front of the Church Santa
Maria del Carmine);
facebook.com/opa.vintage
Youll 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 1930s60s. For music
fans looking to stock up on
the icons of 1960s70s rock,
theres an amazing collection
of vinyl. Opa also has its own
upcycled furniture with themed
dcoupage (we saw rock albums
and 1940s-50s cartoons).

Retro and avant-garde

treasures at Cronos

7. FAVA ANTICHIT
P Statuto 2, Lake Iseo;
favaantichita.com
An hour away is Iseo, on
the shore of the lake of the
same name, and its here
youll 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. LARCADIA
Via Carlo Cattaneo 34
As featured in the pages of
Italian Vogue, this is a chic
haven of classic 195060s
jewellery, handbags, lamps
and other decorative treasures.
The owner, Eleonora Baldi,
sources elegant vintage pieces
from her frequent trips to Paris
and New York youll 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.

MARCH 2015 H&A 123