Piazza della Loggia

Piazza della Loggia is a rectangular square in Brescia, enclosed by a series of buildings from the Venetian period, among which stands the Palazzo della Loggia, the seat of the city’s Municipal Council.

SHORT HISTORY

Piazza della Loggia was designed during the Renaissance, and its construction began at the end of the 15th century.

The square became the beating heart of the city, both for its position and for the presence of the Loggia, a palace built between 1489 and 1574.

On May 28, 1974, a bombing took place in the square during an anti-fascist demonstration, killing 8 people and wounding 102.

ARCHITECTURE

The square is surrounded by 16th-century buildings in Venetian style, quite modest in appearance, but with a strong visual impact. Opposite to the Loggia, on the eastern side of the square, we can find the arcades, also in Renaissance style, surmounted by the Clock Tower, named for the presence of an ancient clock added in 1546.

On the southern side of the square, there is the old Monte di Pietà building, erected between 1484 and 1489, which has a small Venetian loggia divided into two arches in the lower part, and the main facade adorned with numerous Roman inscriptions.

The northeastern part of the square houses the Monument to Bella Italia, built by the sculptor Giovanni Battista Lombardi in 1864 to replace the Venetian column with the Lion of Saint Mark on top, demolished by the revolutionaries in 1797.

The square houses three of the four talking statues of Brescia, a group of sculptures of various ages on which the Brescians used to post anonymous messages in the past, containing criticisms against the rulers.

HOW TO GET THERE

Piazza della Loggia is located about 1 kilometer from the Brescia railway station. The closest Metro station is Vittoria, located about 150 meters away. The closest bus stop is located in Via Verdi, near the Vittoria Metro station, on the bus Line 9.