Paolo VI Square

THE SQUARE

On the east side of the square stands the "Broletto", the oldest public building in Brescia. Once the seat of the municipal judiciary, today it houses the Prefecture, the Provincial council, a police station, the Provincial administration and municipal offices. A large and stratified complex, built between the Middle Ages and the 17th century, it includes:
a civic tower that still features a working clock, the Loggia delle Grida, a central courtyard and the solemn and spectacular northern arcade. The Broletto represents the memory of Brescia's civic liberties. And it continues to be a place that’s full of life.
Side by side, like the past and the future, two souls of the city face each other: the imposing Duomo Nuovo, or new cathedral, in Botticino stone, begun in 1604 and finished in 1825, mixes Baroque and Rococo styles and recounts centuries of ambition and faith; the old cathedral, called the Duomo Vecchio, or Rotonda, built in the 12th century, is a rare example of a medieval stone church with a circular plan, a silent gem which houses works of art and the city's ancient street level. 

On the south side is the bank building, designed in the early 20th century by Antonio Tagliaferri. On the west side, there is a neoclassical palazzetto from 1809, with two imposing Ionic columns, and the Casa dei Camerlenghi, former Venetian administrators, which still retains 15th-century triple lancet windows. And just below, a medieval passage leads to the porticoes of Via Dieci Giornate, built along the ancient Roman walls.
Piazza Paolo VI is a space that combines different styles, functions and spirits. It’s both solemn and welcoming.