The City of the 3 T's: the touròon, the touràs and the tetàs. And how can we forget the violins!... #tuttitaly
In the heart of the Po Valley is Cremona, a beautiful city with a lot of artistic ferment.
Cremona is known as the city of the three T's: the first T is recognized as turòon (nougat); the second probably comes from Turàs (Torrazzo, the exceptionally high bell tower); the third can be tetàs (big tits!) or Tugnàs (Tognazzi). The city was the birthplace of Ugo Tognazzi, one of the "greats" of Italian comedy.
If you decide to visit Cremona, know that the heart is Piazza del Comune. Here are the most beautiful and important buildings in the city. From an aesthetic point of view, these coexist in such harmony that you will think you are in the most beautiful square in Italy.
Our visit began in the Duomo. It has a symmetrical, elegant facade and a majestic interior with a high ceiling. It also contains many works of art. Only the superb cycle of frescoes in the central nave earned the church the Sistine Chapel of the Po Valley nickname.
Immediately after the visit to the Cathedral, we decided to climb the Torrazzo to enjoy the splendid view from above, including the city's red roofs, surrounded by the green Po Valley. The bell tower, entirely in brick, is the highest in Europe and, with its 112 m high, dominates the city. There is no lift, so you must walk almost 502 steps to the top. But even my six-year-old son found this experience genuinely thrilling. In a room inside the Torrazzo, you can see a film explaining the mechanism of the astronomical clock, one of the largest in the world with a diameter of 8 m. and 20 cm.
A visit to the Baptistery could not be missed: a Romanesque building with an octagonal plan, where the 8 (on the sides) indicates the day of creation, therefore of baptism. Only two sides of the structure are covered with marble to be suitable for the facade of the Cathedral.
Another important building is the Palazzo Comunale, an elegant structure that closes one side of the homonymous square. It has been used for over 800 consecutive years and is still operational today. The original medieval broletto shape has undergone numerous adaptations and extensions.
In the halls on the second floor, you can admire paintings from city churches now suppressed and worked by artists active in the area between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
On the left side of the Town Hall, you will find the Loggia dei Militi, one of the oldest buildings in the city, closely linked to the Società dei Militi, to which the wealthiest inhabitants of the town belonged. Note the emblem of Cremona under the portico, formed by a double simulacrum of Hercules (who, according to tradition, was the founder of Cremona).
What made Cremona famous all over the world today is the violin. In 1530, the luthier Andrea Amati made violins with a sound quality far superior to that of the ordinary violins of the time. This allowed him to gain popularity in royal courts across Europe quickly. Subsequently, Antonio Stradivari, a pupil of Amati's nephew, brought the expertise of this craftsmanship to unparalleled levels. And thanks to these exceptional master luthiers, Cremona became the world capital of the violin. The most performing and fine violins were made and are still made today.
