Archaeological Park of Brescia

In the very center of Brescia, the archaeological area is a UNESCO World Heritage site, with remains of important buildings of Roman Brixia around the ancient Roman forum, such as the Capitoline Temple, the Republican Sanctuary, the Theatre or a section of the decumanus maximus.

The most important remains are those of the Capitoline Temple built in 73 AD by Vespasian, dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, of which three halls remain, along with some Corinthian columns 11 meters high that have been partly reconstructed, marble floors and decorations. The neighboring Roman theatre dates from the 1st-3rd centuries AD.
In the underground section, you can visit the wall frescoes and mosaics of the Republican sanctuary (1st century BC).
Facing the temple stretched the forum, the center of the political and cultural life of Brixia, whose ground now lies 4 meters below the current street. You can see a few remains of it, and beyond the south side of the forum the remains of a Roman basilica that blend with residential palaces.

This area was developed from 1823 onward, with excavations and the clearing of buildings, and the deposit of large bronzes.

The Republican sanctuary

Beneath the buildings and the temple of the Capitoline, part of the structures of a sanctuary from the first decades of the 1st century BC remains.
These are four large rectangular halls situated on a podium, each of which had an independent entrance with an access portico. The halls have well-preserved frescoes and colonnades, and were probably vaulted. It is a unique monument in the northern Italy region, built by workers who came from central Italy.

The Capitolium and the Winged Victory

The Capitolium was the main temple of the city, a symbol of belonging to Romanitas. It was dedicated to the Capitoline Triad : Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. On its esplanade the main ceremonies and sacrifices took place.

You can visit the spaces arranged inside in the large cellae, behind the large glass panes, with original portions, including decorations and furniture from the period, original floors of colored marble slabs from the 1st century AD, altars or fragments of statues.

The walls of the central hall are covered with the collection of epigraphs.

The right cella displays the Winged Victory of Brescia, a bronze statue from the 1st century AD whose restoration was completed in 2021. The layout and lighting particularly highlight it. It has returned to the place where it was discovered in 1826, along with six imperial heads and numerous bronze objects.

The Roman theatre

Just east of the Capitolium, the Roman theatre was built and enlarged between the 1st and 3rd centuries.
The cavea and the tiers rest partly on the Cidneo hill.
Built at the end of the 1st century BC, its ornaments and the stage date from the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. It was used until the late Antiquity period at the beginning of the 5th century.
After a collapse, it served as a quarry from the Middle Ages onward.

Roman forum and basilica

Information

• Wikipedia articles: The Capitoline of Brescia, Ancient Brixia (in Italian)
• Tourism portals: www.bresciatourism.it, www.bresciamusei.com

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