Piazza Paolo VI (formerly Piazza del Duomo)

Mon, 22/10/2012 - 16:05 -- Chiara Itinerario:  The great squares of the city centre Early Medieval and Romanesque-Gothic Brescia Slow tour 1 Slow tour 2 Tipologia:  Squares Tag:  The New Cathedral The Old Cathedral The Rotonda the Broletto the House of Camerlenghi Tagliaferri 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 Broletto, which incorporates the municipal tower and the loggia delle grida, exteds along the eastern side as well as 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 XVII century, when an open bossed arcade was added to the north side. Nowadays the buildings 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 par and the rococo style of its imposing and grandiose facade in white Botticino marble. The Duomo Vecchio, or Rotonda, dating from the XII 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 headquarters of a bank designed by Tagliaferri at the beginning of the XX 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 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 Roman wall.  File:  Audioguide P.za Paolo VI 1.mp3 Audioguide P.za Paolo VI 2.mp3 Audioguide Broletto 1.mp3 Audioguide Broletto 2.mp3 Audioguide Broletto 3.mp3 Audioguide Broletto 4.mp3 Audioguide Old Cathedral 1.mp3 Audioguide Old Cathedral 2.mp3 Audioguide Old Cathedral 3.mp3 Audioguide Old Cathedral 4.mp3 Audioguide New Cathedral 1.mp3 Audioguide New Cathedral 2.mp3 Audioguide Around P.za Paolo VI.mp3 Galleria:  ItalianoDeutschFrançaisEspañol