PIAZZA DEL MERCATO, Brescia, Guía del visitante y qué hacer cerca

Piazza del Mercato is one of the best-known squares in Brescia, a spot at the heart of the city's everyday social life. It is a good place to pause in the historic centre and to meet the local aperitivo tradition, the Pirlo.

The story behind it

The square's name points to its role as a place of exchange and gathering, and today much of its character comes from people meeting here, especially in the early evening. That is the hour of the Brescia aperitivo, a ritual that fills bars and squares between the end of work and dinner.

The local drink is the Pirlo, made with still white wine, Campari, sparkling water and a lemon or orange peel, and served in a tall-stemmed balloon glass. Where the name comes from is uncertain. Several explanations circulate in the local dialect, and none is settled, so it is best enjoyed as a piece of local colour rather than a fact.

What to look for

• Watch the early evening crowd gathering around the bars, which shows how the aperitivo works as a social ritual for people in Brescia.
• Look at the glasses on the tables: a Pirlo comes in a balloon glass with a tall stem, with a peel of lemon or orange.
• Notice the colour of the drink, a pale white wine tinted by a little Campari and lengthened with sparkling water.
• Take in the buildings around the square and the way the streets of the centre lead off in several directions.

Tips for your visit

• Plan on 15 to 30 minutes if you are passing through, longer if you stop for a drink and watch the square.
• Go in the early evening to see the square at its liveliest and to try a Pirlo at a local bar.
• It is an open public square, so you can walk through at any time. Check current opening hours for individual bars and shops.
• Combine it with a walk through the surrounding historic centre, where more squares and streets are within easy walking distance.

See it on a quest

Brescia: Quest for the Laurel Crown is a good way to see this square. You reach Piazza del Mercato on foot as one stop of a longer route through the city, the app tells you about each place when you arrive, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you. There is no guide and no group to join, you start whenever you like, and one ticket covers the whole group.