Visiting Italy Cremona the town of Violin-making

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Today I am talking about Cremona. A small town situated on the north bank of the river Po and 90 km south-east of Milan in Italy. It was firstly mentioned by a tribu in 400 BC but officially was founded in 218 a.C by Romans.The Middle Age is the period in which Cremona played a great role in architecture.

Piazza del Comune is one of the most preserved Medieval square in Italy. Overlooking this square there are monuments when Cremona excelled competing even with Milan. After that period was under “foreign control”

The Cathedral is a beautiful example of Romanesque architecture. It was begun in 1107 and destroyed by an earthquake in 1117 The main facade has a portico with a nartex in the middle. Surmounted by a “loggia” with three niches added in the XV century and a large rose window.

A “loggia” connects it to the Torrazzo (the tower) built between 1267 and 1305. It is 111 metres in height and the tallest stone-built bell tower in Europe. Actually 502 steps to reach the top of the tower and watch the panorama of the city. His facade has an astronomic clock.

The town Hall was founded in 1206. It has a typical Lombardic broletto shape architecture. In 1245 some parts which today delimit the courtyard. In 15th Century the facade were renovated and divided in small rooms. The last changes were in 19th Century and involved the interior and the facade in a way we still can see today.

The loggia dei Militi on the left side of the town hall is a building related to the Militi the most important people in the city during 12th Century. Inside is preserved a symbol of Cremona the statue of Ercole. According to the legend he should be the founder.

The Baptistery was begun in 1167 and completed in 15th century with the upper loggia-shaped crown. It has a typical octogonal shape a reference to baptism.

Cremona is famous among musicians for its history and tradition. In this history and tradition are including the luthiers. People who build or repair string instuments such as the violin. A symbol of Cremona is exactly the violin. A museum shows five centuries of violinmaking through the best makers plus a wide range of instruments and documents.

Luthiers workshops dedicated to string instruments made by the hand of experienced craftsmen and with precious woods.

The violin craftsmanship of Cremona is part of World Heritage of Unesco since 2012. Since 1938 Cremona has a traditional violin-making school which was closed for decade because the Second World War. Every three years Cremona hosts an international violin-making competition named after the master Stradivarius.

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!steemitworldmap 45.201438 lat 9.983658 long Cremona Italy d3scr