Rare among European cities, Brescia has two cathedrals, the Duomo Vecchio (Old Cathedral) and Duomo Nuovo (New Cathedral), built next to one another.

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In 1387, the Visconti family declared its quarry the property of the Duomo, the cathedral in Milan then just beginning to be built.

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For a sensory overload spike, head for Piazza del Duomo to absorb the Siena Cathedral, one of Italy's finest Gothic structures.

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And it can feel as if all roads lead to the octagonal-sided Duomo, the 15th-century cathedral that dominates the cityscape of red and umber roofs.

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The remarkable frescoes in The Collegiata, the Romanesque cathedral in the centre of town overlooking the Piazza del Duomo, give a sense of what life was like in the 13th century.

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