The Italian violin maker Antonio Stradivarius was born in Cremona. There is a violin museum (Museo del Violino) with details of his life and excellent displays explaining how violins and other string instruments are constructed…an art form that is unbelievably complex. One room that is designed with special lighting and carefully monitored temperature and humidity settings displays one Stradivarius cello and 11 violins made by Stradivarius, Amati, and Guarneri.
These instruments are taken from their cases and played on a regular basis -each one about three times a year. Sometimes they are used in a performance in a concert hall in the museum but we weren’t lucky enough to be here during a scheduled concert.
Below is an example of a violin maker’s workshop set up in the museum. Around the city you will see many actual workshops (liuteria). We learned that a luthier is a craftsperson who builds and repairs string instruments. These craftsmen (and women) still use the same tools and materials that their ancestors used 300 years ago.
There are several music schools in Cremona and we see many students to walking around the city with their instruments.
We got a closer look at the astronomical clock on the Torrazzo di Cremona (the bell tower). We need a little more time and better glasses to work out the details but it is definitely a masterpiece.
The weather has been mild so we have walked everywhere. Today we walked to the Ala Ponzone Museum. Another palace filled with treasures….like this massive work by Jacopo Ferrari.
A work by Caravaggio;
and art inside and outside.
We took a break for lunch at a traditional trattoria…El Sorbir.
After lunch, several customers were stocking up on jars of pickled vegetables…made in-casa, possibly a seasonal item.
The food was excellent but the highlight was the chocolate budino with zabaglione cream sauce – a very rich chocolate pudding in a sauce flavored with Marsala wine. A dessert to be savored.
Back to the museum after lunch, we saw works by a Cremona-born painter and printmaker Sergio Tarquinio celebrating his 100 year birthday.
Our last stop before we left the museum was the stunning listening room, set up for an event being held later in the afternoon.
Cremona is a wonderful city and we’re having a great time here. We will have one more full day here before we leave for Turin on Saturday.