Museo di Santa Giulia

About the museum

The museum occupies the monastic complex of San Salvatore – Santa Giulia, founded in 753 by the Lombard king Desiderius and dedicated to the Saviour; the remains of the martyr Giulia were later brought there. The basilica of San Salvatore, conceived as a church-mausoleum, is one of the most important examples of Lombard religious architecture; the monastery remained in operation for centuries and housed Benedictine nuns.

Within the complex are spaces from different periods: the Roman domus of the Ortaglia (1st–4th century), the basilica, the Coro delle Monache decorated with early 16th-century frescoes, and the Romanesque oratory of Santa Maria in Solario, where the nuns kept the monastery's treasure, including the Cross of Desiderius and the Lipsanoteca. Together with the Roman archaeological area of Brixia, the complex forms part of the UNESCO site “I Longobardi in Italia. I luoghi del potere (568–774 d.C.)”, inscribed in 2011.

The museum, arranged in chronological and thematic sections across about 14,000 square metres, tells the story, art and spirituality of Brescia from the 3rd millennium BC to the Renaissance, with thousands of finds and works from city excavations and from collectors' bequests. The section on the Roman period was renewed twenty-five years after the opening and recalls the great monumental contexts of the nearby archaeological park.

Since 2023 the UNESCO Corridor links the Capitolium area to the Santa Giulia complex on foot, by a free route. The museum is run by the Fondazione Brescia Musei.

Highlights

• Cross of Desiderius and Lipsanoteca, the monastery's treasure
• Lombard basilica of San Salvatore with the crypt
• Coro delle Monache with frescoes by Floriano Ferramola
• Roman domus of the Ortaglia with mosaics and viridarium
• Bronze portraits and late antique ivory diptychs
• Chapel of Saint John the Baptist with the cycle by the Master of Lentate

Permanent exhibitions

• Percorso museale di Santa Giulia – From prehistory to the Renaissance: archaeological sections, the basilica of San Salvatore, the Coro delle Monache, Santa Maria in Solario and the Ortaglia domus.
• Corridoio UNESCO – Free walking route of about one kilometre between the Capitolium area and the Santa Giulia complex.

Founded

1998

Operated by

Fondazione Brescia Musei

Visitors per year

approx. 38,058

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Free admission on 15 February, on the visitor's birthday, on International Museum Day (18 May), at Christmas, on International Women's Day, Mother's Day and Father's Day (with children), and on 5 October for teachers.

The single ticket for Brescia's civic museums (full price €15) is valid until 22 August 2027 and allows one entry to Santa Giulia, the Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo, the Museo delle Armi Marzoli and the Museo del Risorgimento. Free for residents of the municipality of Brescia, holders of the Brescia Card and the Abbonamento Musei Lombardia, tour guides, journalists and ICOM members. For schools €4.50 per museum site. The museum page does not list a separate ticket for Santa Giulia alone.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

In the section “L'età romana. La città” there are models for tactile exploration. Only guide dogs are admitted.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Baby changing facilities

For children there is the game-app “Geronimo Stilton. Brescia Musei Adventures”: free tablets at the ticket office to search for a hidden medallion. There is a baby-changing facility in the toilets.

Getting there & parking

The historic centre has limited traffic zones (ZTL); information is on the Brescia Mobilità website. Taxi service: Radio Taxi Brixia +39 030 35111. Bicycle racks at the museum.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Bookshop next to the ticket office. Cloakroom with security lockers (€1, refunded at the end of the visit). The temperature in the rooms is about 20 °C: an extra layer is recommended.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit