Brescia, Italy (Brixia)

The Roman city of Brescia is one of the best preserved Roman sites in northern Italy. Ancient Brixia was a Roman city in the 3C BC and flourished from Augustus through the second century AD. The well preserved Capitolium has a recomposed facade of the Flavian-era temple, re-erected in the Fascist era. The temple was rediscovered in 1826, including a cache of bronze works, including six portrait heads and a winged Victoria figure. Underneath the imperial Capitolium, there are three Augustan era temples that replaced four Republican temples. One has been excavated; its frescoed faux-marble frescoes and pavement are exquisite! Next door there is a theater. Down the street are columns excavated from the forum and the basilica. Along the decumanus a few hundred meters away there is the complex of Santa Giulia, whose collection includes two churches and a couple of Roman Domus found in the monastery orchard in the 1960s. It’s an amazing UNESCO world heritage site!