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Breno is a small mountain town in the Province of Brescia. It had a glorious past (according to local standards), while today it stands out from many other small towns thanks to the presence, within its territory, of the fine ruins of a 14th-century castle.

I had hoped to find a somewhat better preserved castle (perhaps like the one in Brescia), but even in these precarious conditions it has a charm of its own.

Purely by chance, I arrived there at the beginning of an international gathering of scooter enthusiasts. In the castle courtyards there were in fact quite a few Vespas with Swiss and German number plates, while a tractor was carrying a trailer full of backpacks and suitcases. The participants had already set up camping tents here and there. The appearance of the tents changes, the horsepower under the saddle increases, the castle remains (almost).

It is near the entrance that we can get an idea of what medieval encampments looked like.

But let us return once again inside the castle. The towers that are still standing were all closed when I found them.

Was this cage used for witches or for prisoners?

All the underground areas, including the probable prisons, are flooded.

This object looks like a candle holder, but its appearance is too modern: no older than the late 19th century (one should also consider the way it is mounted).

From the castle itself I managed to photograph about 90% of the town of Breno:

The historic centre is small but pleasant.

I found the local cathedral closed, but I managed to enter the small and original church just a little further to the right.

If its main door seemed off-centre compared to tradition, you saw correctly. I do not recall having seen another church organised like this inside. I have seen at least two with the entrance only on the long side, but never with it partially set on a diagonal.

Apparently the interiors were once very beautiful, but now very little of that remains.

And finally we can move on to Breno’s contemporary social life! Local shopkeepers love signs with two different sides. Here is an example:

The name of the street is indicated on all house numbers: in my opinion, this is convenient. Even if, in Breno’s specific case, the signs are among the poorest possible.

A sign spotted near the castle, on the other hand, is beautiful and original.

The car garages in the historic centre are not very visible and therefore do not spoil the view.

In some cases the gas meters are still «period pieces».

I do not know why, but at first glance this statue in front of the Town Hall reminded me of one of Dalí’s elephants.

My regular readers will already be wondering about photos of litter bins and benches… Quite right! I have always said that the comfort and beauty of public spaces depend on such objects. Breno’s benches are beautiful, original, widespread and identical throughout the town. Have you ever seen this combination of wood and metal?

The only original litter bin worthy of attention was instead found in one of the castle courtyards.

The shape of the bicycle racks at the railway station looks very practical.

And the prices of car parking are more than reasonable (let us compare them with those in Milan):

For the first time I have seen a public post box equipped with a cornice (I am not even sure the term is appropriate). My question is: what is it for?

Another question, even more difficult: why after 1:30 pm is there nowhere to eat in the whole of Breno? I should point out, however, that I generally avoid suspicious little bars and places that do not display prices. Well, at least we can congratulate the local students.

Breno railway station is small but well kept. I am not sure how correct it would be to call it beautiful.

At Breno station I also found a device I had never seen before. If my hypothesis is correct, it is used to transport wheelchair users from one platform to another (there is no underpass). But perhaps also to help them board and alight from trains.

Like other nearby stations, Breno’s is also equipped with a tool that is now becoming extinct, but was once extremely important (at least one still remains at Milan Central Station as well, but it sits in the middle of the web of tracks, so next time try to spot it from the train window).

At Breno station, however, there are only three tracks. One of them is used by diesel trains to and from Brescia (there are no direct ones to Milan). We can leave on this very train as well, since there is nothing more to see in Breno.

The conclusion: if you have a free afternoon and really do not know how to spend it, go to Breno. But do not expect too much.