Museum of Santa Giulia

The Santa Giulia Museum — unique in Italy and Europe for its exhibition concept and setting — is housed in the ancient Benedictine monastery of San Salvatore and Santa Giulia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011. The museum journey spans 4,000 years, from prehistoric times to the modern era, in a path that weaves together art, history and spirituality.

The architectural complex includes the Lombard basilica of San Salvatore, the crypt, the Nuns’ Choir and the church of Santa Maria in Solario. The route winds through an archaeological area with two Roman-era residences (1st–3rd century AD), the Lombard basilica of San Salvatore (8th century AD), the Nuns’ Choir (early 16th century) and the Romanesque oratory of Santa Maria in Solario (12th century) — where the Lipsanotheca (a precious ivory reliquary container) and the Cross of Desiderius, a Carolingian goldsmith’s masterpiece adorned with 212 gems, are still preserved today.

In these very places Alessandro Manzoni set the death of Ermengarda, also fixing it in literary memory.

Why visit the Santa Giulia Museum

• Travel through over 4,000 years of history, from prehistory to the modern era.
• Walk through the rooms of two Roman domus, richly decorated with mosaics and frescoes.
• Discover the many traces of the past preserved in the basilica of San Salvatore, the heart of the UNESCO site “The Lombards in Italy. Places of Power (568–774 AD)”.
• Be amazed by the 212 gems and cameos of the Cross of Desiderius, shining beneath a starry sky.
• Find yourself suddenly within the sumptuous space of the Nuns’ Choir, a true masterpiece of the Renaissance.

Tips for your visit

• Museums Ticket: one entry to each museum in Brescia’s civic museum system (Santa Giulia, Tosio Martinengo Art Gallery, Museum of the Risorgimento, Luigi Marzoli Arms Museum).
• Accessibility: almost fully accessible for those with mobility disabilities. The Lower Hall of Santa Maria in Solario and the crypt of the Basilica of San Salvatore, protected under monumental conservation rules, are inaccessible but can be visited virtually via free cardboard headsets at the ticket office and the virtual tour. Maquettes, tactile reproductions and maps for visually impaired visitors are available.
• Virtual Tour: explore the museum in 360° directly from home.
• EasyGuide: free multimedia guide (also in LIS — Italian Sign Language).

Santa Giulia and the area around Brescia

Located in the heart of the city, in the western hinterland of Lake Garda. Easily reachable by car and well connected by the public transport network.

Other attractions in the area: Brixia. Roman Archaeological Park of Brescia, Tosio Martinengo Art Gallery, Luigi Marzoli Arms Museum, Museum of the Risorgimento: The Lioness of Italy.

Photos: ©Photographic Archive of the Civic Museums of Brescia