Brescia

Brescia (Italian: [ˈbreʃʃa] , locally [ˈbreːʃa]; Brescian: Brèsa [ˈbrɛsɔ, ˈbrɛhɔ, ˈbrɛsa, ˈbrɛha]; Venetian: Bressa or Bresa; Latin: Brixia) is a city and comune (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo. With a population of 201,715, it is the second largest city in Lombardy behind Milan, the fourth largest in northwest Italy and it is the northernmost Italian city among those with over 200,000 inhabitants. The urban area of Brescia extends beyond the administrative city limits and has a population of 672,822, while over 1.5 million people live in its metropolitan area. The city is the administrative capital of the Province of Brescia, one of the largest in Italy, with over 1.2 million inhabitants. Founded over 3,200 years ago, Brescia (in antiquity Brixia) has been an important regional centre since pre-Roman times. Its old town contains the best-preserved Roman public buildings in northern Italy and numerous monuments, such as the medieval castle, the Old and New cathedral, the Renaissance Piazza della Loggia and the rationalist Piazza della Vittoria. The monumental archaeological area of the Roman forum and the monastic complex of San Salvatore-Santa Giulia have become a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of a group of seven inscribed as Longobards in Italy, Places of Power. Brescia is considered to be an important industrial city. Metallurgy and production of metal parts, machine tools and firearms are of particular economic significance, along with mechanical and automotive engineering. Major companies based in the Brescia area include utility company A2A, steel producer Lucchini and firearms manufacturers Beretta and Perazzi. Brescia is home to the prestigious Mille Miglia classic car race that starts and ends in the town. In the arts, it was nicknamed Leonessa d'Italia...