Cremona

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Overview

Just as Bergamo has its Venetian walls and Brescia has its Roman ruins, Cremona has its own defining feature – violins. Its love affair with the fiddle dates back to the early 18th century and the travails of the legendary Antonio Stradivari, who crafted over 1000 stringed instruments in an 80-year career. But once you’ve rosined your bow in the Museo del Violino and nosed in the windows of the specialist luthiers' workshops that still crowd Cremona’s old quarter, there’s plenty more to see.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Museo del Violino

Cremona

Cremona’s history echoes to sound of violins and violin-making, meaning a visit to this relatively new, state-of-the-art museum is practically obligatory…

Cattedrale di Cremona

Cremona

Welcome to an ecclesial colossus. Cremona’s cathedral started out as a Romanesque basilica, but the simplicity of that style later gave way to an…

Torrazzo

Cremona

Cremona's 111m-tall torrazzo (bell tower, although 'torrazzo' translates literally as ‘great, fat tower’) is the third tallest brick bell tower in the…

Museo Civico Ala Ponzone

Cremona

Set in the spacious halls of the Palazzo Affaitati, Cremona's finest art gallery houses an exquisite collection of paintings dating from the 15th to the…

Chiesa di San Sigismondo

Cremona

A few kilometres southeast of the old city, the 15th-century Chiesa di San Sigismondo features a 16th-century fresco cycle that is a superb example of…

Chiesa di Sant'Agostino

Cremona

Once inside the 14th-century Chiesa di Sant'Agostino, head for the third chapel on the right, the Cappella Cavalcabò, which features a stunning late…

Palazzo Comunale

Cremona

The Palazzo Comunale has been home to the city's government for hundreds of years. Begun in the 13th century, its arcaded walkways and courtyards were…

Piazza del Comune

Cremona

This beautiful, pedestrian-only piazza is considered one of the best-preserved medieval squares in all Italy. To maintain divisions between Church and…

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