BRESCIA, or Bresciano, a province of Italy, in Lombardy, bounded on the N.W. by Bergamo, N.E. by Tyrol, E. by Verona, from which it is separated by the Lago di Garda, S.E. by Mantua, and S.W. by Cremona. Its area is rather more than 1643 square miles. The northern part, or about one-third, is occupied by a chain of mountains which belong to the Rhaetian Alps; the remainder forms part of the great plain of Lombardy, and shares in its general fertility. The principal rivers, all tributaries or sub-tributaries of the Po, are the Oglio, the Melia, and the Chiese. Corn, flax, hemp, the olive, and the vine are extensively cultivated, and in some districts the traveller passes for miles through the midst of orchards. The mountainous parts, and especially the valley of Trompia, yield iron, copper, marble, alabaster, and granite. The manufactures consist principally of silk, woollen, linen, and cotton goods, iron, steel, and copper wares, glass, and paper. Among the principal townships are Rovato, Chiari, Orzinuovi, Monte-Chiaro, Salo, and Ponte-vico. Population in 1871, 456,023....
Brescia, the capital of the above province, is situated between the Melia and the Garza, about 155 miles by rail from Turin, in 45° 32' N. lat. and 10° 14' E. long. It lies at the foot of a spur of the Alps, on the summit of which is a fine old castle formerly known as the Falcon of Lombardy. The town is well built, has fine arcaded streets, aud compares favourably in point of cleanliness with other cities in the North of Italy; but it has hardly so many buildings of first-class importance. The old cathedral, a remarkable specimen of the circular form, is sadly disfigured and neglected, and the new cathedral by its side (1604-1825), though built of white marble, is of little architectural merit, St Afra and San Francesco being more worthy of notice. The Broletto, or old palace of the republic, dating originally from the 12th or 13th century, is a large and interesting building; but it has suffered greatly by successive alterations. The episcopal palace contains an extensive public library, consisting principally of the books and manuscripts—many of great antiquity and value—bequeathed to the city by Cardinal Quirini in 1750. There is an exceptionally rich collection of both mediaeval and classical antiquities, preserved in a beautiful Roman building, usually known as the Temple of Hercules, built by Vespasian and excavated in 1822; and throughout the numerous churches and mansions of the city are to be found many of the masterpieces of Italian art. Among the other buildings are the Loggia or communal palace erected in 1508, a theatre, a hospital, a lyceum, and various public fountains. The botanical gardens are worthy of notice. Brescia is a busy town. Its arms and cutlery have been famous for centuries; whole streets are occupied by coppersmiths; silk, woollen, and linen goods, paper, leather, and oil are manufactured; and an extensive transit-trade is carried on. The population in 1871 was 38,906.
Brescia, the ancient Brixia, is supposed to have been founded hy the Etruscans. It was afterwards a town of the Cenomani, and, finally, a Roman free town. After the fall of the empire it was several times pillaged by the barbarians, especially by Attila in 452. From the Lombards, under whom it was the capital of a duchy, it passed to the Franks. It was made a free imperial city by Otho the Great, and shared and suffered in the contests between the Guelfs and Ghibellines. It then fell into the power of the Signiors of Verona, and in 1378 into the hands of the Milanese. It was taken in 1426 by Carmagnola the Venetian general; besieged by the Milanese general Picinino in 1483, but assigned to the Venetians by Pope Martin V.; surrendered by the inhabitants to the French after the battle of Agnano (1509); taken in 1512 by the Venetian general, Andrea Gritti; delivered by Gaston de Foix; and besieged again in 1573, 1575, and 1576. It remained under the Venetian dominion till the dissolution of the republic. It was the capital of the department of Melia during the existence of the Cisalpine republic and the Napoleonic kingdom of Italy, and fell in 1814 under the yoke of Austria. In the revolution of 1849 the inhabitants rose in arms, but were overpowered, after a destructive siege, by the troops of Haynau. In the war of 1859 it again sided with the patriotic party, and followed the destinies of the rest of Lombardy. Brescia has at various times suffered severely from pestilence and epidemics. It was the birthplace of Tartaglia the mathematician and the writer Mazzuchelli.
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