Brescia and Lake Iseo

Sunday, September 28

This morning we attended Mass in one of the two cathedrals on Brescia's Piazza del Duomo. The 11th century Rotonda, as it it known because of its unusual shape, has sunk below street level; walking down into the nave and looking up at the dark, circular walls pierced by deeply-set windows high above was an other-worldly experience. That feeling was matched by the fact that the Mass was in Latin, with Gregorian Chant, which Tom and I were both amazed that we remembered. In fact, the Latin prayers and verses were considerably more intelligible to us than the homily, which was delivered in Italian!

After Mass, we explored some of the medieval streets, which exist side-by-side with the excavated remains of the forum of the original Roman settlement and the Fascist-era Piazza della Vittoria.

This afternoon, we headed for beautiful Lake Iseo, which is ringed by mountains and cliffs. We drove around the long lake, stopping to soak up the views and for a late and leisurely lunch on the patio at a lakeside restaurant. Our enjoyment of the assortment of mixed grilled lake fish was accompanied by the pleasure of watching three generations of the family (down to a toddler) who served us in their ristorante.

Another great day in Bella Italia!

MER