What to see in Cremona in 2 days: complete itinerary

What to see in Cremona in 2 days

Cremona is the city of the violin, torrone nougat and one of Italy's most beautiful medieval squares. Here Antonio Stradivari created his immortal instruments, and today over 150 luthier workshops keep this tradition alive. The Po Valley city offers an exceptionally high-level cultural and gastronomic experience.

Day 1: The Piazza del Comune and violin-making

Morning

Start from **Piazza del Comune**, the city's monumental heart. It is a perfect architectural ensemble: the **Torrazzo** (112 metres, Europe's tallest brick bell tower), the **Cathedral**, the octagonal **Baptistery**, the **Palazzo del Comune** and the **Loggia dei Militi**. Climb the Torrazzo's 502 steps: from the top the panorama stretches from the plain to the Alps on clear days. The 1583 astronomical clock is the world's largest.

Visit the **Cathedral**, a Romanesque-Gothic masterpiece with a pink Verona marble facade. Inside, the Renaissance fresco cycle in the nave (Boccaccino, Romanino, Pordenone, Bembo) is a journey through 16th-century Lombard painting.

Afternoon

Devote the afternoon to the violin world. The **Violin Museum** (2013, designed by Giorgio Palù) is a multisensory experience: it houses instruments by Stradivari, Amati and Guarneri del Gesù, with an auditorium where you can hear them played. Stradivari's "Il Cremonese" violin (1715) is the centrepiece.

Visit a **luthier's workshop** (many are open to the public by appointment). On Via Platina, Via Sicardo and surrounding streets dozens of artisans build violins with the same techniques used three centuries ago. The sound of planing and the smell of varnishes create a unique sensory experience.

Hidden gem: the **Church of San Sigismondo** (2 km from centre) has a Mannerist interior completely frescoed by the Campi family, a virtually unknown Lombard Sistine Chapel.

Evening

Cremonese dinner: marubini in brodo (filled pasta in three-meat broth), bollito misto with Cremona mostarda (mustard fruit), artisan torrone nougat. Evening stroll through the lit centre streets.

Day 2: Museums, the Po and workshops

Morning

Visit the **Ala Ponzone Civic Museum** in Palazzo Affaitati: art gallery with Arcimboldo, Caravaggio (a Saint Francis) and Cremonese Renaissance painters. The archaeological section tells of Roman Cremona.

Continue to the **Church of Sant'Agostino** with its Perugino altarpiece, and the **Church of San Pietro al Po** with the refectory frescoed by Antonio Campi (1570), a surprising architectural trompe-l'oeil.

Afternoon

Reach the **Po** (10-minute walk from centre). The long embankment is perfect for a stroll or bike ride. The **Lido Po** in summer is the locals' beach. Look for the point where the Naviglio Civico canal meets the river.

Return to visit the **historic shops**: Fieschi mostarda, Sperlari and Vergani torrone, luthier workshops. On Via Solferino and Corso Campi you'll find shops selling artisan products for generations.

Hidden gem: the **Teatro Ponchielli** (named after the Cremonese composer of La Gioconda) has a beautiful neoclassical foyer visitable even without a show.

Evening

Final circuit of Piazza del Comune at sunset, when orange light fires the Cathedral's marble. Dinner with risotto alla pilota and cotechino, closing with a slice of torrone and a glass of Bonarda from the Oltrepo.

Recommended walking routes

• **Monumental route** (2.5 km): Piazza del Comune → Violin Museum → San Sigismondo (by bike) → return via Corso Garibaldi
• **River route** (4 km): Centre → Porta Mosa → Po embankment → Lido → return via Via Brescia

Practical tips

• The Violin Museum includes live concerts in the Auditorium (book ahead)
• The Torrazzo is closed in bad weather
• The Torrone Festival (November) fills the centre with stalls and tastings
• Cremona is 1h from Milan and 30 minutes from Piacenza by train

Further reading

• [Where to stay in Cremona](/guida/cosa-vedere-a-cremona-in-2-giorni)
• [Where to eat in Cremona](/guida/cosa-vedere-a-cremona-in-2-giorni)
• [How to get to Cremona](/guida/cosa-vedere-a-cremona-in-2-giorni)