Piazza del Foro

Piazza del Foro was the religious and civilian centre of Brescia in Roman times. In the northern part of the square, in a prominent position, stood the Capitolium, with two rows of lateral porticoes, while the Basilica, which still remains in nearby Labus square, surrounded the south side. The grandiose square was traversed by the Decumanus Maximus, the present via dei Musei, under the Bergamo-Verona directive. At the crossroads today it faces the eighteenth-century church of San Zeno al Foro. Opposite stands the imposing Martinengo Cesaresco Novarino building, built in the seventeenth century, which preserves important underground Roman ruins that can be visited today. In the vicinity are some historic buildings such as the palazzetto Lana (via A. Gallo, 1) attributed to the architect Lodovico Beretta and the palazzo Uggeri on the corner of the vicolo San Zanino and via dei Musei. On the same street, there is the Maggi di Gradella building, also from the sixteenth century.