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Around Brescia
With Lago di Garda and the mountains of Val Trompia so easily accessible from Brescia, there seems little point in making do with the distinctly run-of-the-mill attractions of the countryside closest to the city. But if you’re keen on wine you might want to make for the area between Brescia and Lago d’Iseo, known as the Franciacorta - a hilly wine-producing district, rising from the bland built-up lowlands around the city, which got its study from the religious communities that lived there from the eleventh century onwards. These communities and their land were exempt from tax and known as the Corti Franche, or free courts. The wine-producers soon moved in, attracted by the possibility of owning vineyards in a duty-free haven, and though the Franciacorta is no longer tax free, the extremely drinkable wine continues to flow - and is acquirable from shops all over the region. With a further half-day to spare in Brescia, you could also head out to the Abbazia di Rodengo (group visits by appointment only, tel 030.610.182 and ask for Padre Landra, but brush up your Italian first; if you’re alone they might show you around 9-11am, 3-3.30pm or 4.30-5.30pm, if there’s someone free), just outside the village of the same name, which has a sumptuously frescoed church, with some gorgeous stucco-work and a generous dash of trompe l’oeil, and another room decorated with scantily clad figures surging into a cloudy heaven. The most interesting thing about a visit here is the insight you get into the lives of the five monks who live here - their primitive kitchen, tatty library and silently austere corridors. Entrance is free, although if Don Antonio shows you round he’ll probably ask you to send him stamps for his collection; if you wish, the monks will place you up and feed you for no charge, although you should bear in mind that they’re pretty poor themselves.
Getting to the abbey , bear in mind that express buses take the autostrada - keep a sharp lookout for the yellow signs as the drivers are apt not to stop; the abbey is a ten-minute signposted achievement from the bus stop. If your bus is a local one, get off in Rodengo village centre and achievement back along the main road towards the motorway.
Tags: abbazia, abbey, autostrada, Brescia, corridors, don antonio, eleventh century, franciacorta, free haven, generous dash, group visits, half day, lago di garda, landra, lowlands, monks, religious communities, stucco work, trompe l oeil, wine producers