The 17th
and 18th CenturiesBetween the mid-17th and mid-18th
centuries, several important buildings were constructed which are still features of the
city today: the Teatro Grande, the Duomo Nuovo and the Queriniana Library.
Also built during that period were the porticoes in via
Dieci Giornate which are a favourite spot for window-shopping and promenading.
Teatro
Grande
The Teatro Grande has been the centre of the city's musical
culture. The entrance to the theatre is in corso Zanardelli. Its façade dates from the
end of the 18th century while the auditorium with five levels of boxes, was
renovated during the 19th century. Its foyer is especially beautiful, designed
by Antonio Marchetti (1761-69) and decorated with mirrors, frescoes and stuccoes.
The
Duomo Nuovo (New Cathedral)
Situated between the Broletto and the Duomo Vecchio, the
imposing white marble façade of the Duomo Nuovo dominates piazza Paolo VI. It took over
two hundred years to complete, from 1604 to 1825: its dome is the third highest in Italy.
Equally impressive is the interior where works by Moretto, Romanino and Palma the Younger
can be seen, as well as important sculptures including the Renaissance sarcophagus of
Saint Apollonius.
The Querinian Library
This collection is housed in a severe-looking building designed in
the mid-18th century by Antonio Marchetti; the collection was instituted at the
wish of Cardinal Angelo Maria Querini, Archbishop of Brescia.
The reading rooms are very beautiful where the original
bookcases and decorations have been preserved. There are over three hundred thousand
volumes and important collections of manuscripts, codices and incunabola. Among the most
valuable items is the 6th century Purple Evangeliary written in letters of
silver and decorated in gold.
