Welcome to Cremona
A cosy provincial town in the middle of the Po plain, CREMONA is known for its violins. Ever since Andrea Amati established the first violin workshop here in 1566, followed by his son Nicolò and pupils Guarneri and – most famously – Antonio Stradivari (1644–1737), Cremona has been a focus for the instrument. Today the city hosts an internationally famous school of violin-making, as well as frequent classical concerts.
Cremona has some fine Renaissance and medieval buildings, and its cobbled streets make for some pleasant wandering, but it's a modest sort of place: target it as a half-day trip from Milan, on a route towards the richer pickings of Mantua.
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