Santa Giulia Museum

THE MUSEUM

With its 14,000 square metres of exhibition space, the museum is one of Brescia’s main cultural hubs.
The visitor route, organised into themed sections in chronological order, presents thousands of works spanning from the 4th millennium BC to the 18th century. It includes an archaeological area with Roman houses (domus), a Lombard basilica and numerous rooms displaying major objects from local excavations as well as from the bequests of important collectors from Brescia.

Combining scientific research and an educational approach, the museum offers an immersive and accessible experience. Among its treasures stands the Cross of Desiderius, a masterpiece of Carolingian goldsmithing, together with discoveries and artworks that bear witness to more than three thousand years of civilisation and powerfully tell the story of the city.

The Santa Giulia Museum, together with the archaeological area of the Capitolium and the monastic complex of San Salvatore, is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

UNESCO SITE

Combining scientific research and a commitment to dissemination, the museum offers an immersive and accessible experience.
It isn’t just a museum. It’s a city within a city, where history, art and architecture tell the story of Brescia like nowhere else.
The visit begins on the ground floor: here, artefacts, frescoes and archaeological finds narrate the city’s religious and civil past. Moving to the upper floor, you reach the extraordinary Church of Santa Maria in Solario, where the 9th-century Cross of Desiderius, an absolute masterpiece of medieval goldsmithing, shines in the centre. Moving on, you pass Roman domus, medieval cloisters and more than 11,000 works of art, walking through the majestic Basilica of San Salvatore to the evocative Choir of the Nuns, a precious gem of art and spirituality.
Thanks to a recent urban intervention, the UNESCO Corridor connects the museum to the Archaeological Park of Roman Brescia: a kilometre-long pedestrian route taking in vestiges, walls and history. Free access, no admission charge.
An urban thread linking 2,500 years of history.

Inside the museum, the new Roman section takes the visitor to the heart of late antiquity (4th-5th century AD): jewellery, glass, amphorae and ceramics from the excavations in the Capitolium are recounted in a modern, immersive layout. Three multimedia installations combine audio, video and lighting for an experience that combines emotion and knowledge.
The museum's monumental garden, the Viridarium, also houses art from the present day. Here stands 'World of Steel' by Emilio Isgrò, a four-metre diameter globe made of steel, which engages with the past and looks to the future.

In summer, the garden comes alive with 'Eden in Summer. Cinema at the Museum': open-air films, gourmet aperitifs and culture under the stars. A new way to experience the museum - informal, convivial, contemporary.