Formerly Piazza del Duomo
This square, which dates back to the Middle Ages, is the heart of the city; it contains important historical buildings which symbolize the city's concern with civil rights as well as its religious tradition.
The palace of the Broletto, which incorporates the municipal tower and the loggia delle grida, extends along the eastern side as wellas two cathedrals - the Duomo Nuovo (the New Cathedral) and the Duomo Vecchio (the Old Cathedral).
The palace of the Broletto is the oldest municipal building in the city and was the centre of political life when Brescia was a city-state. It has a square ground plan with an internal courtyard which was built in stages from the Middle Ages up to the XVIIth century, when an open bossed arcade was added to the north side. Nowadays the building houses the Prefecture, a Police station and the administrative offices of the province and council.
The Duomo Nuovo was built between 1604 and 1825: the long history of its construction is reflected in the baroque style of the lower part and the rococo style of its imposing and grandiose façade in white Botticino marble.
The Duomo Vecchio, or Rotonda, dating from the XIIth century, is a splendid example of a circular stone building from the Middle Ages and contains several works of art. The former ground level of the city can be observed around it.
The south side of the square is occupied by the palace of the Credito Agrario Bresciano, designed by Tagliaferri at the beginning of the XXth century.
On the west side, opposite the Broletto, the neo-classical palace (1809) with two Ionic columns in the centre should be noted, as well as the House
of the Camerlenghi, who were Venetian administrators, which has windows with three lights and a medieval arcade. This arcade leads to the main arcade in Via Dieci Giornate which was built along the edge of the old Roman wall.
At the end of Via Dieci Giornate (southwards) the arcade continues left along Corso Zanardelli as far as the XIXth century Teatro Grande. The horseshoe-shaped auditorium is richly decorated with neo-baroque frescoes and gilded plaster-work and the remarkable foyer, built in the second half of the XVIIIth century, with its loggias and frescoes.