If you have even the slightest interest in history or want to avoid Italian cities due to the masses of tourists who flock to them, you can’t afford to miss Brescia in northern Italy, just an hour-and-a-half drive east of Milan or west of Venice.

The town, too close to two of the most beautiful and visited cities for its own good, is often overlooked—which is, to a certain extent, good news. Brescia has several UNESCO World Heritage sites: a Roman forum, an archaeological complex in the town center known as Santa Giulia Museum, a huge Romanesque façade, and an early medieval castle.