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Brescia

Town in Lombardy, northern Italy, 84 km/52 mi east of Milan; population (2001 est) 187,900. Brescia is the second largest and most industrialized town in Lombardy after Milan. Heavy engineering dominates, developed from the town's medieval armaments industry; products include cars, railway engines, electrical generators, machine tools, firearms, and metal products. Other industries are precision engineering, textiles, and brewing. It became a Roman stronghold during the 1st century BC and has two cathedrals - one Romanesque (11th century) and the other baroque (17th century).

History

After the fall of the Roman Empire Brescia became the seat of a Lombard duchy; it was made an independent commune in the 12th century, but subsequently was held by a succession of states (including Verona, Milan, Venice, and Austria). The town was a revolutionary centre during the 18th and 19th centuries; it united with the kingdom of Italy in 1860.

Features The old centre of the town retains the original street plan of the Roman castrum (fort), dominated by an ancient castle. There are many old churches and palaces. The churches and the art gallery contain notable collections of paintings, including works by Raphael, Tintoretto, and Moroni. Most notable among the town's numerous Roman remains is the marble temple of Vespasian (built in AD 73), now used as a museum of antiquities. The town hosts an annual music festival and piano competition.

The 12th-century Augustinian monk Arnold of Brescia was Born here in 1100.

Brescia Lombardy