Tour Diary: Brescia

Brescia was a humble breath of fresh air after bombastic Rome. I mean Italy’s capital is awesome and everything, but Brescia’s charms are sweet and subtle. While Rome is the throbbing, pumping heart of Italy, Brescia just gently flutters. Pretty streets and pastel-coloured buildings gave a bit of a palate cleanser the town and can be covered in around an hour or so. I just went for a little wander, nothing special, but it was nice to have a quiet walk without the stress of missing any major landmarks. It sounds self-indulgent, mainly because it is, but tourism is tiring, you know?

The venue was totally incredible, Teatro Grande is an old theatre – not crumbling but kept in perfect condition. It’s like a theatre in a children’s book, plump velvet seats, chandeliers, gold everywhere and fancy painted ceilings. Before the gig itself we went to Al Frate, a cosy Italian restaurant where I had polenta and beef stew. You’re well advised to do as I did and go through a polenta phase in this area, here they served it wet with the stew, a comfort food of dreams. The owner of the restaurant came and sat down with us at the end of the night and served up some Visciolata, a mysterious sweet wine which after a bit of googling is made from sour cherries. Definitely recommend it.