The Luigi Marzoli Arms and Armor Museum houses one of the finest European collections of antique arms and armour, testifying to Brescia’s longstanding weaponry tradition.

The Museum was established thanks to the acquisition of the collection of Luigi Marzoli, an estimable businessman from Palazzolo, decorated with the Order of Merit for Labour. Particularly relevant in the collection is the sixteenth-century Brescian armour selection, especially the infantryman’s corslets and the firearms with the famous Gardonese barrels, productions that have made Brescia internationally famous since the sixteenth century.

 

The Museum


Inside the fourteenth-century Mastio Visconteo, one of the oldest buildings in the Castle, is the Luigi Marzoli Arms Museum. This museum was inaugurated in 1988 after a series of restorations that revealed Visconti frescoes with the rare coat of arms of Luchino and Giovanni Visconti, fifteenth-century Venetian frescoes, and remains of a Roman temple and oil warehouses, on top of which the medieval building was erected.

The museum contains all types of weapons (white, defensive, firearms and artillery), illustrating Brescia’s long weaponry tradition through a display of over 700 pieces, testifying to the technological and artistic progress achieved by Brescian and local craftsmen from the fifteenth to the early nineteenth century. The collections also include pieces that have been part of the Christian Museum collections since the nineteenth century.

Mastio

The Arms Museum is located at the top of the Cidneo Hill. The earliest known settlement on this site dates back to between late Bronze Age and early Iron Age. We know of the existence of a Celtic place of worship dedicated to Bergimus and in the Roman age, during the first century CE, a sanctuary of uncertain dedication was erected here, consisting of a complex of two temples whose steps and oil warehouses are still visible today. Cultural continuity is evidenced by a small early Christian martyrium and by the foundation, in the twelfth-century, of the church of Santo Stefano, of which one of the two original bell towers, the Mirabella Tower, can still be admired today. The earliest defensive structure is documented in the Lombard era, in the eighth century, when a church was built inside the complex. During the thirteenth century the castle was modified and improved until Brescia was conquered by Milan. In 1343 Luchino Visconti had the castle rebuilt from scratch and erected the Mastio on the remains of the Roman temple. Frescoes with the coat of arms of Luchino and his brother Giovanni are still visible in the Luigi Marzoli Arms Museum. The function of the Mastio, as it appears today, was not purely military, but served as an administrative centre where the Milanese governor took up residence.
Still in use during the first Venetian rule, as evidenced by some frescoes bearing the date 1442, the Mastio slowly began to lose importance with the planning of modern fortifications. At the end of the nineteenth century it was used as a military prison, as the heavy window grates still testify. After World War II it became a museum.

History of the Collection

In 1963 Luigi Marzoli’s arms and armour collection was considered the world’s most significant private collection: not a dynastic property handed down from father to son, but rather a selection created from scratch that did not collect objects solely for their aesthetic value, but that was informed by a clear project: that of documenting the production of arms and armour from Lombardy, especially from Brescia, paired with pieces from other famous arms centres, giving rise to an immediate comparison. The purpose, as Marzoli himself stated in his will, was that these displays were to be “closely admired by workers, craftsmen, artists and especially by young apprentice gunsmiths and mechanics, for them to observe what had been forged by their ancestors, feeling the love for their profession and ambition to improve their position and contribute to the prosperity and greatness of the Nation.” This was one of the first collections in the world, if not the first, to have a precise identity, to be scientifically consistent, philologically studied, and with a social and civic purpose. After Marzoli’s death, two-thirds of the prestigious collection passed to Brescia’s Civic Museums through his will. To this important nucleus, consisting of about 1090 pieces, further 300 already in the Christian Museum collection were added. On 15 October 1988 the Luigi Marzoli Arms Museum was inaugurated in the prestigious Mastio Visconteo inside the Castle of Brescia. The first project for the museum’s layout was entrusted to the architect Carlo Scarpa but was later revised and carried out by Francesco Rovetta and Arrigo Rudi, with the display cases and racks made by Officina Rivadossi. The museum itinerary, reflecting Luigi Marzoli’s idea and will to document the progress and evolution of Brescian arm production, is organised in chronological order through four major themes, illustrating the artisan excellence in metalworking and the creation of innovative mechanical systems.

Collection

The importance of the Marzoli collection, with the addition of the arms and armour from the Civic Museums, lies not only in the quantity and quality of the pieces, but also in their selection: the collector wanted to put together the best and rarest items on the market, but also bear witness to the important arms production which has always characterised the Brescia area and Lombardy at large.

EasyGuide

Discover the masterpieces of Luigi Marzoli Arms and Armor Museum with the EasyGuide!
An innovative multimedia guide that is free, simple and usable directly from your smartphone! Access to the contents is immediate and takes place by scanning a QR code.

Virtual Tour

Information

We recommend buying tickets on line.

Pricing

The ticket allows entry to Luigi Marzoli Arms and Armor Museum and to Museum of the Risorgimento Lioness of Italy

Full price
€ 12,00
Affiliates
€ 10,00
Groups
€ 8,00
Over 65
€ 8,00
Under 26, disabled (with disabilities up to 67%) + accompanying person free of charge
€ 7,00
Schools (ticket applicable to any ‘formal’ school group, with accompanying teacher, with complimentary admission)
€ 4,00 for museum site
Residents of the Municipality of Brescia (except groups)
Free of charge
Children up to the age of 5, from the 3rd child onwards (up to the age of 18), licensed tour guides, journalists and publicists (upon presentation of their membership card), disabled person (with a disability of 67% or more) and accompanying person, ICOM member, no. 1 group leader per group, no. 2 teachers per school group
Free of charge
Subscriptions (Brescia Card and Abbonamento Musei Lombardia)
Free of charge
University Thursdays (free admission for students from Brescia universities, every Thursday afternoon at 2.00 pm)

Free of charge
Brescia University students with drawing tools to make copies of the works
Free of charge
Women’s Day (All ladies on 8 March)
Free of charge
Mother’s Day – All mothers accompanied by a child (regardless of the child’s age) on Mother’s Day
Free of charge
Father’s Day – All fathers accompanied by a child (regardless of the child’s age) on Father’s Day
Free of charge
Patron’s Day (15 February), Christmas
Free of charge
On the occasion of one’s birthday (on presentation of ID only)

Free of charge

Opening times

Summer timetable (1 June – 30 September):

  • Mondays (non-holidays): Closed
  • Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 10.00 a.m. – 7.00 p.m.
  • Last admission: 6.15 p.m.

Winter hours (1 October – 31 May):

  • Mondays (non-holidays): Closed
  • Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 10.00 a.m. – 6.00 p.m.
  • Last admission: 5.15 p.m.

Information and booking

Should purchasing tickets online prove impossible we recommend contacting the CUP – Centro Unico Prenotazioni Booking Centre (Monday – Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) or checking the website www.bresciamusei.com to see current reservations. 

T. 030 2977833
T. 030 2977834
E. cup@bresciamusei.com

Services

The “Geronimo Stilton. Brescia Musei Adventures” app-game


Fabumouse news for all the little Geronimo Stilton fans: the mouse-journalist most loved by children the world over, has arrived in the museums of Brescia for an adventure that will make their whiskers twitch with excitement!

For the first time ever, Geronimo Stilton is the protagonist of a museum app-game dedicated to children aged 6 and over entitled Geronimo Stilton. Brescia Musei Adventures.

All you need is a smartphone or tablet provided by the Fondazione Brescia Musei to take part in “Geronimo Stilton, a day as a knight”:

 at the Luigi Marzoli Arms Museum, where children will travel back in time to the Middle Ages to help Geronimo find all the pieces of the suit of armour he needs to join a ring joust tournament.

Through the halls of the castle’s imposing Mastio Visconteo, children will discover all the parts of a suit of armour, how it was decorated, how knights saw through the small slits in their helmets, what trials a young man had face to become a knight, how his horse was harnessed, and many other fun facts. The tour will end in the parade armour hall, where Geronimo will find a prestigious shield and children will have the chance to virtually decorate one to their liking.

Tablets are available free of charge at the Arms Museum ticket office.

EasyGuide

Discover the masterpieces of Luigi Marzoli Arms and Armor Museum with the EasyGuide!
An innovative multimedia guide that is free, simple and usable directly from your smartphone! Access to the contents is immediate and takes place by scanning a QR code.

 

Discover more!

Bookshop

The Museum of the Luigi Marzoli Arms and Armor Museum Bookshop, located next to the ticket office, offers a wide selection of books dedicated to the museum, as well as a rich selection of merchandise.

Refreshments and lounge area

Visitors can enjoy refreshments at the Castle’s Infopoint, equipped with a vending machine for hot drinks and snacks plus a comfortable lounge area.

Pets

Dogs are not allowed in the Luigi Marzoli Arms and Armor Museum and its outdoor areas, with the exception of guide dogs for people with visual impairment.

Photos and videos

Photographs with no flash are allowed. Fondazione Brescia Musei welcomes its visitors to share their photos on their social media channels.

Getting here

Via Castello, 9 – Brescia

By Bus and subway

  • by bus: check bus routes on the Brescia Mobilità website
  • by subway: San Faustino stop + a 10-minute walk / Piazza Vittoria stop + a 15-minute walk

By Taxi

Radio Taxi Brixia
tel. (+39) 030.35111

Car parking

Along the road that leads to the Castle there are several free and pay parking areas, also for people with disabilities. 

Bicimia

Go to the Brescia Mobilità website to discover this bike service

By Train

Reach us by train, then from Brescia Train Station:

  • on foot: 20-minute walk, direction Castello
  • by subway: San Faustino stop + 10-minute walk / Vittoria stop + 15-minute walk

By Plane

Gabriele D’Annunzio Brescia Airport
(20 Km from Brescia)

Orio Al Serio Bergamo Airport
(56 Km from Brescia)

Valerio Catullo Verona Airport
(70 Km from Brescia)