From Parco del Mella to Parco Pescheto

You start in the south-west, where Parco del Mella opens onto an area still full of water, greenery and little-used paths. This is the area known as Ansa delle Fornaci, one end of the Mella cycle and pedestrian path – a classic for those who love a Brescia made for running and walking.

From here you head north, crossing three neighbourhoods with plenty to say: Fornaci, with Parco Boninsegna; Villaggio Sereno, with Parco Giffoni; and finally Lamarmora, with the Zorat, Nicoletto and Bambini di Beslan gardens. It’s an urban walk, yes, but with glimpses of agricultural landscape that still hold out on the edges.

The route ends at Parco Pescheto, one of the best-known and most central parks, a key junction for other itineraries such as Route 1. It’s a walk that doesn’t make a fuss, but traces with clarity an important slice of the city.

Fornaci, between faith and hidden villas.
In Fornaci, silence speaks. It does so within the sober walls of the Church of San Rocco, a small gem with discreet charm and frescoes by Trainini, and along the avenues leading to three residences from another era: 18th-century Villa Onofri; Villa Pellizzari di Meduna, an elegant witness to the neighbourhood’s soul; and Villa Labirinto, wrapped in mystery and suggestion.
Four stops to discover a side of Brescia that few know, but that is well worth the detour.

Where there used to be fields, now there is a wood.
In the 1990s, there were only fields here. Today, thanks to a major environmental project, the municipality has recreated a riparian woodland along the Mella.
Large-scale planting, native species and the will to make amends for decades of exploitation. Now this green strip is an ecological corridor where you can observe numerous bird species… and also a little more hope: once a receptacle for waste water, the River Mella is now cleaner thanks to the Concesio wastewater treatment plant.

The route ends near the Lamarmora metro station. To reach the starting point at Ansa delle Fornaci, you can use bus lines 10 (Flero–Poncarale) and 17 (Castelmella), which conveniently serve the south-western area of the city.