Palazzo Tosio is the current seat of the University of Brescia, Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts, but it is not the only aspect of its bicentennial history. The University was founded in 1801 in its original location until 1888, the year of its move to Palazzo Martinengo da Barco. In 1908 the two art galleries soon and Martinengo merged into the only complex called “Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo”. The Pinacoteca houses the collections of the two families which over the years have been divided into the Brescia city museums: the Museum of Natural Sciences, the Museum of the Risorgimento and the Tosio Martinengo Civic Art Gallery. In fact, with the death of Paolo Tosio, the last owner of the Palazzo, the art collections were donated to the Municipality to set up a Civic Gallery. The Palace underwent a period of great decay, between 1940 and 1948, due to the Second World War and was destroyed by bombing. Complete restoration work followed on the floors and frescoed decorations that can still be admired today. Today the Palazzo is open to the public to visit the apartment and admire the numerous works on display that belonged to the Tosio collection, following the collaboration with the Brescia Museums Foundation.