Brescia — a province of Lombardy, bounded by Bergamo and the Tyrol to the north, Verona and Mantua to the west, Cremona to the south, Lodi and Bergamo to the east. Area: 1,300 square miles; population 350,000. The fertility of the soil is favourable for the choicest products, and one of the most important branches of industry is the silk trade; annually 1,000,000 pounds of silk are produced; the number of silk manufactories is 27 and of silk-weaving mills 1,046. About 70,000 lbs. of excellent wool are produced yearly, and there are no fewer than 45 wool manufactories, 40 factories for woollen and cotton goods, 13 cloth factories, 27 gold‑, silver‑ and bronze‑ware factories, 12 ironware and porcelain factories, 7 printing works, 137 iron foundries and works for smelting other metals (Brescia steel enjoys world renown), and 77 fire‑arm and armour factories, whose outstanding products earned Brescia in former times the name l’Armata <the armoury>. Butter, cheese, wheat, maize, hay, flax, chestnuts, oil and wine further contribute to the prosperity. The trade of the province is carried on chiefly in the capital of the same name.

The city (formerly Brixia) has a population of 40,000 and lies on the rivers Mella and Garza, at the foot of a hill. The strong castle on the summit of the hill was in former times called the Falcon of Lombardy. The city is solidly built, pleasant and lively, known for its numerous fountains, of which, besides some 100 in private houses, there are no fewer than 72 in the streets and squares. The old cathedral and the other churches contain many paintings by the great Italian masters. The new cathedral, or Duomo Nuovo, was begun in 1604, but the dome was only completed in 1825. The chief ornament of the church of Santa Afra is Titian’s “Woman Taken in Adultery”. There are in all over 20 churches, all known for their art treasures. Among the noteworthy public buildings is the Palazzo della Loggia on the Piazza Vecchia, which was intended as the town hall and whose beautiful façade suffered greatly from the bombardment in April 1849. Count Tosi presented the Palazzo Tosi to the city; it contains, among many famous pictures, the celebrated “Saviour” by Raphael. The picture galleries in the palaces Averoldi, Fenaroli, Lecchi, Martinengo and in other palaces are likewise known for their art treasures. An entire street, Il Corso del Teatro, has the fronts of the second storeys decorated with biblical, mythological and historical paintings. The Biblioteca Quirinina, founded in the mid‑18th century by Cardinal Quirini, contains about 80,000 volumes and in addition an extensive collection of rare manuscripts and objects of antiquity. The most unique monument of Brescia is the cemetery (Campo Santo), the finest in Italy, laid out in 1810; it consists of a forecourt around which the graves and a row of cypresses are arranged in a semicircle. Brescia is the seat of the provincial government, a bishopric, a commercial court and other courts. It has various charitable institutions, a theological seminary, 2 gymnasiums, a lyceum, a botanical garden, a cabinet of antiquities and a cabinet of natural history, an agricultural society, several academies, the Philharmonic Society is one of the oldest in Italy, a casino, a beautiful theatre and a large market‑place outside the city for the annual fair — a time of great activity and pleasure. The weekly newspaper of Brescia is called “Giornale della provincia Bresciana”. A Roman marble temple was excavated nearby in 1822. Brescia is connected by railway with Verona and other Italian cities.

It is believed that the city was founded by the Etruscans. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, it was plundered by the Goths and later passed into the hands of the Franks. Otto the Great raised it to the rank of a free imperial city, but the disputes between the Guelphs and Ghibellines became a source of unrest for the city. After having been for a time under the rule of the lords of Verona, it fell into the hands of the Milanese in 1378. In 1426 it was taken by Carmagnola; in 1438 besieged by Piccinino; in 1509 it surrendered to the French; in 1512 it was captured by the Venetian general Gritti, but later liberated by Gaston de Foix. During the 16th century, subjected to three further sieges, it remained in the possession of Venice until the fall of that republic. During the Napoleonic era, it was the capital of the Department of Mella. In the revolution of 1849, the inhabitants of Brescia rose up against the rule of Austria, to which they had been subjected since 1814. The city was bombarded on 30 March by General Haynau and held out until noon on 2 April, when it was forced to surrender and pay a tribute of 1,200,000 dollars to avert its complete destruction.