Rezzato (Brescian: ) is a comune in the province of Brescia, Lombardy. It is bounded by the comunes of Brescia, Botticino, Castenedolo, Mazzano and Nuvolera. It is located at the foot of the Alps and a few kilometres from Lake Garda. It is the most populous city east of Brescia.
Officially founded on 12 March 1299, Rezzato has been an important religious and administrative centre since the Middle Ages. The settlement has played a significant role in Italian history, notably during Second Italian War of Independence when the Austrians led by Field Marshal Karl von Urban defeated the Sardinians commanded by Giuseppe Garibaldi in the famous Battle of Treponti (1859). After absorbing the nearby settlement of Virle Treponti in 1928, during World War II – as many cities in northern Italy – Rezzato suffered extensive damage, leading to post-war rebuilding that significantly shaped its modern appearance.
The comune was eventually awarded city status in August 2022.
Thanks to its nearness to the small town of Botticino, Rezzato is commonly considered the town of marble working. The stonecutters from Rezzato have been famous since the 15th century for their creativity and their artistic way of working with Botticino marble. For this reason, Rezzato was chosen by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as the place to produce some headstones for its military cemeteries. In 1911, Rezzato's marble workers processed the stone used to build the Victor Emmanuel II Monument in Rome.
History
Early history Neolithic deposits, including bones of Homo sapiens, have been found in local caves, and artefacts dating to the Bronze Age have been found at Mount Peladolo. The most important prehistorical place in the area was Ca' dei Grii, a cave on the south side of Mount Regogna. During archaeological research from 1954 to 1968, objects of the Neolithic period were discovered. The cave, a refuge for prehistoric men, served also as a temporary home for a few families during the Second World War. It was destroyed in 1969 by an adjacent marble quarry.
Modern era
The origin of the town's name is believed to stem from the medieval "Regadium," meaning "royal court," a term used to designate the area surrounding the city of Brescia. Benedictine monks contributed to the founding of Rezzato by draining the land and digging irrigation canals on the Valverde plain.
Rezzato became a free commune on 12 March 1299, when its inhabitants obtained permission from the Bishop of Brescia, Berardo Maggi (1240–1308), to separate the village from the Benedictine monastery of St. Eufemia.
In the 14th century, battles between the Guelph and Ghibelline city-states led to the domination of Milan and the surrounding territories by the powerful Visconti family, backed by Emperor Henry VII. In the 15th century, the western part of Lombardy came under the control of the Sforza family, while Brescia became part of the Venetian Republic in 1429. Under Venetian rule, local commerce and crafts flourished, and Rezzato gained renown for its marble. Stone cutting was the predominant industry in Rezzato from the 15th to the early 20th century.
Due to its proximity to the city and its favorable climate, many noble families built their summer residences in Rezzato. The noble Giacomo Chizzola (1502–1586), after withdrawing from politics, founded a school in his villa for the children of wealthy Brescia families, where they could learn Latin. It is known that the mathematician Niccolò Tartaglia (1499–1557) gave a lesson on Euclid, while Chizzola himself taught rural economics. This academy may have been one of the oldest agricultural academies in the world.
Several notable figures visited and stayed in Rezzato during the 19th century: Napoleon and Garibaldi spent a night in Villa Fenaroli, while Prime Minister Giuseppe Zanardelli often came to Rezzato in the summer to spend his holidays.
On 15 June 1859, the significant Battle of Treponti took place in Rezzato, one of the battles of the Second War of Independence, fought between Garibaldi's forces and the Austrian army led by Karl von Urban.
The municipal boundaries were expanded on 1 May 1928 with the addition of the village of Virle Treponti.
Geography
Topography
Rezzato is located in the northern section of the Po Valley, immediately east of Brescia, at the foot of the Brescian Prealps.
The territory consists of three large morphological macroregions: the flat basin between Monte Maddalena, the hills of Botticino, and Monte Regogna. The hilly system comprises mountains Regogna, Fieno — the highest point of the municipal territory at — and Marguzzo, alongside two hills called Peladolo and Poggio San Martino. While the northern part of the territory is hilly, the southern area is flat.
The administrative comune covers a total area of .
The hills of the area are composed of various types of stone. The first of these is the "corna", consisting of calcium carbonate and magnesium, which formed approximately 193 million years ago. This stone is present throughout the basin between Monte Regogna and Monte Marguzzo, including Poggio San Martino. Geological studies conducted on Monte Regogna have led to the identification of various fossilized forms of marine life. The geological age of the "corso" stone began shortly after that of the corna. This stone is located in the lower parts of Monte Regogna; due to these lower elevations historically being submerged by the sea, fossilized shells of ammonites and sea urchins have been found here. The "medolo", which rises on the west side of Monte Regogna, is a younger formation (dating to 178 million years ago) and is composed of limestone marbles. The medolo is characteristic of a deep marine environment, resulting in a high abundance of fossilized shells.
Located just from Lake Garda, the town is crossed by the Naviglio Grande Bresciano, an ancient canal built in 1253. A vast network of small, now mostly covered canals originates from it, which continues to be used for agriculture. Other notable waterways include the Rino, a torrent that descends from the mountains, crosses the historic center of Virle Treponti, and merges with the Naviglio Grande near the Treponti highway. Near the mouth of the Rino, the Lupa canal flows out from the Naviglio, running through the countryside south of Treponti toward Castenedolo. Additionally, the Rino Musia torrent descends from Botticino, crossing part of the northeastern wooded area of the town before entering the city of Brescia.
Climate According to the Köppen climate classification, Rezzato has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa). Its average annual temperature is : during the day and at night. The warmest months are June, July, and August, with high temperatures from to . The coldest are December, January, and February, with low temperatures from to .
Winter is cold but snowfall is rare; it mainly occurs from December through February. Summer can be sultry when humidity levels are high and peak temperatures can reach . Spring and autumn are generally pleasant, with temperatures ranging between and .
The relative humidity is high throughout the year, especially in winter when it causes fog, mainly from dusk until late morning, although the phenomenon has become increasingly less frequent in recent years.
Precipitation is spread evenly throughout the year. The driest month is December, while the wettest months are April/May and October/November.
Demographics
Rezzato had a population of 13,618 inhabitants as of 30 April 2026.
Since the end of World War II, mirroring broader trends across Lombardy, Rezzato has experienced two major waves of mass migration. These demographic shifts corresponded with distinct economic phases. The first wave coincided with the Italian economic miracle of the 1950s and 1960s, a period of rapid industrial growth driven by heavy manufacturing and public works. This migration primarily involved Italians relocating from rural areas, mountainous regions, and cities across Southern Italy, North-East Italy, and other provinces within Lombardy.
The second wave occurred during the late 20th and early 21st centuries, taking place against the backdrop of a transitioning economy centered around services, small-scale manufacturing, and post-industrial development. Unlike the first wave, this later migration predominantly consisted of foreign immigrants moving to the municipality from outside the Italian peninsula.
Rezzato is today mostly cosmopolitan and multicultural. As of 2026, the foreign-born population is 1,733, making up 12.7% of the total population. The largest immigrant group comes from Eastern European nations (mostly Romania, Ukraine, Moldova and Albania), the others from Asia (mostly China, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka) and Africa. The town is predominantly Roman Catholic, but due to immigration now has some Orthodox Christian and Muslim followers.
Foreign countries of birth Population (2026) 380 187 117 112 103 100 85 83 80 66 56 50otherseach <50
Municipal government
Rezzato is headed by a mayor () assisted by a legislative body, the , and an executive body, the . Since 1995, the mayor and members of the are directly elected together by resident citizens, while from 1945 to 1995 the mayor was chosen by the legislative body. The is chaired by the mayor, who appoints others members, called . The offices of the are housed in a building usually called the or .
Since 1995, the mayor of Rezzato is directly elected by citizens, originally every four, then every five years. The current mayor is Luca Reboldi, elected on 9 June 2024 with 53% of the votes.
This is a list of the mayors of Rezzato since 1945: Mayor Term start Term end PartyVaifro Sberna5 May 194526 August 1957DCFortunato Pasquali26 August 19578 March 1970DCFausto Cargnoni20 July 19701 October 1985DCGiuseppe Joannes1 October 198524 April 1995DCAugusto Berardi24 April 199514 June 2004IndEnrico Danesi14 June 200426 May 2014IndDavide Giacomini26 May 201427 May 2019IndGiovanni Ventura27 May 201910 June 2024LegaLuca Reboldi10 June 2024IncumbentInd
Main sights Civil sights
The Pinacoteca Internazionale dell'Età Evolutiva "Aldo Cibaldi" (also known as PInAC) officially opened in 1969 and is the most prominent museum in the town. It is housed in a former deconsecrated church dedicated to St. Alexander on Via Disciplina. The facility holds a collection of more than 8,000 works of art. Operating as both an art gallery and an open educational center, PInAC offers training courses and experimental didactic activities. The institution continues to collect, study, and catalog drawings created by children, and collaborates with schools to promote children's art and their perspective on the world. The museum's collections are notable for their multi-ethnic character, featuring pieces from numerous countries. Additionally, the gallery organizes workshops for adults led by nationally and internationally recognized artists.
Villa Avogadro-Fenaroli is one of the most famous sight in Rezzato, being home to the noble Avogadros and Fenarolis from Brescia for nearly four centuries. Its north wing dates to the 16th century as well as the balcony overlooking today's via Scalabrini. Gothic greenhouses were built in 1840, while gardens were rearranged in 1863. The villa is a Palace Hotel since 2006.
The Bacchus' Gardens (Italian: I Giardini di Bacco) is a public park located on the summit of St. Peter's Hill (Colle di San Pietro). During the 18th century, the grounds were the private property of the Fenaroli family. The park features scenic monumental staircases situated directly behind Villa Fenaroli. Inside the gardens, an 18th-century small temple commemorates the Greek god Bacchus. In 2001, thieves stole the temple's pillars, causing its dome and trabeation to collapse to the ground. The Municipality of Rezzato promptly restored the structure, recovering a key symbol of the town's historical identity.