The medieval castle of Brescia stands on top of Cidneo Hill, not far away from the city centre. It presents a massive and mighty presence that is already visible from the motorway. Its profile is marked by towers and ramparts which flanked the lateral slopes in order to defend the site. Later on, this fortress was reinforced by adding covered and uncovered tunnels. This defensive system was placed to safeguard against attacks and incursions over the centuries by European lords, especially those who were interested in conquering the city to rob raw materials or simply aimed at conquering a strategic outlet on the main European trade routes.
This building is also known as the “Falcone d’Italia” (Italian Falcon) and its area stretches over 75,000 m2 of land. On the back side of the hill, there was a hidden underground tunnel, which is still visible today among the plants. The famous “Pusterla Wineyard” may be seen from here.There are some interesting facts linked to this natural corner such as that it is the largest and most productive vineyard in Europe , especially thanks to a native grape variety called “Invernenga”.
This natural scenery encloses a fortress which housed two museums bearing testimony of the heroic past of the city. The first one is the Museum of the Risorgimento, known as “Il Grande Miglio” because of it occupies the old granary, while second one is the Luigi Marzioli Museum of Arms that is situated in the Visconti keep.