Excerpt from Music Among the Ruins: Brescia, Italy. On newsstands now in Passport Magazine.
It was like falling in love all over again. I remember the seduction so clearly, with the dreamy moments that satisfied all the romantic notions during my first time in Italy. I’ve returned many times since, always to find so much more of bella Italia just waiting to beguile. During a recent trip, I was swept away at Villa Romana in Desenzano del Garda, and in the Grottoes of Catullus of remote Sirmione, and not least of all, while immersed in a symphony of delights in Brescia with music among the ruins.
Nestled in the foot of the Alps, the Province of Brescia sits coyly under the radar in the heart of the Lombardy region of Northern Italy. The drive clocked in at ninety minutes from Milano Malpensa, where a Neos Air (neosair.com/us/en) red-eye dispatched me from New York. Also known as the ancient name Brixia, the UNESCO World Heritage site in the city of Brescia remains one of the region’s most prominent hubs, boasting rich cultural roots among its famed vineyards of Franciacorta bubbly.