Montichiari is one of the most important centers of the province of Brescia. Located in the eastern plain of Brescia, at the foot of the mountain that has the same name, and washed by the River Chiese. On its territory, in the district of Dosso, pre-Roman and Roman finds (bronzes, inscriptions and mosaics) have been found. In medieval times, allied with Brescia, the town belonged to the Guelph party. It was besieged and destroyed by the troops of Emperor Frederick II and became a feud and belonged to the Counts Longhi, Montichiari passed in 1404, under the rule of Pandolfo Malatesta, related to the Visconti. It then passed under the Venetian domination and assumed the prerogative of an important agricultural market, which still is one of the major industrial activities of the area.
The city is dominated by the spectacular Neo-Gothic Castle of Bonoris, built on the ruins of an ancient fortress in the last century. Inspired by the Borgo del Valentino in Turin, the entrance features the main drawbridge, flanked by the smaller one for pedestrians, with turrets, dovetail battlements and a rich façade decorated with the Crest of Montichiari and the one of San Pancrazio, patron saint of the city.
The Cathedral, entitled to Santa Maria Assunta, stands on the ruins of an existing church. It dates back to the XVIII century and inside it preserves frescoes of the painter of Lodi, Callisto Piazza and the altarpiece dedicated to the Last Supper of artist of Brescia, Romanino.
La Pieve di San Pancrazio, founded in the V-IV century, is among the oldest in the Diocese of Brescia. It reached the peak of his political and religious importance in the XII century.
Interesting are also the Museum of Arms, which is housed inside the former Choir area of the Church of St. Mary of Suffrage, the Archaeological Museum and the Multimedia Folkloric Museum "Giacomo Bergomi", with a rich documentation of every aspect of local farm industry.