Cremona

Cremona is a town of 71,093 inhabitants in the province of Cremona, in Lombardy, Italy. It is the capital of its province.

The municipality covers 70.39 km², with a density of 1,010 inhabitants per km².

The nearest airport is Parma (PMF), about 40 km away as the crow flies. Read our guide to the airport.

The city of violins

Cremona, on the Po river, is world famous as the home of violin making: here Stradivari, Guarneri and Amati crafted their instruments, and traditional violin making in Cremona is listed by UNESCO.

What to see

Piazza del Comune is one of the finest medieval squares in Italy, with the Romanesque cathedral, the octagonal Baptistery and the Torrazzo, one of the tallest brick bell towers in the world. The Violin Museum displays historic instruments, which are played regularly in its auditorium. Visit the workshops of today's violin makers and the Palazzo Comunale.

Food

Mostarda di Cremona, candied fruit with mustard, torrone nougat, marubini pasta in broth and Grana Padano.

A short history

Founded by the Romans in 218 BC as an outpost on the Po, Cremona was a rich medieval commune, as its cathedral and the Torrazzo, one of the tallest brick bell towers in Europe, still show. In the sixteenth century Andrea Amati built here the first modern violins; Stradivari and Guarneri followed. The composer Claudio Monteverdi was born in the city in 1567.

Events and festivals

In late September Cremona Musica, a fair of instrument making, brings luthiers and musicians from all over the world, and the Stradivari Festival follows in autumn with concerts on historic instruments. In spring the Monteverdi Festival is devoted to early opera. In November the Festa del Torrone celebrates the local nougat with a historical pageant and stalls in the squares.

Around Cremona

The Po river with its cycle paths, Mantua and Sabbioneta, Piacenza and Lodi. The nearest airports are Bergamo, Milan and Verona.

Getting there

Cremona is about an hour by regional train from Milan, on the line to Mantua, and has connections to Brescia, Piacenza and Parma. The nearest airports are Milan Linate, Bergamo and Parma. By car it lies on the A21 motorway between Piacenza and Brescia. The centre is small and flat, and the bicycle is the usual way to get around.

PDF guide

One hundred and one things to do in Italy without paying a ticket

Free places, rituals, festivals and walks, region by region, with a month-by-month calendar. A 50-page PDF guide.

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Nearby, within 10 km

Places with a story around Cremona, with the distance as the crow flies from the centre.

Sights and monuments

• 0.3 km
  Chiesa dei Santi Marcellino e Pietro (Cremona)
• 0.4 km
  Chiesa di Sant'Imerio e Clemente
• 0.4 km
  Palazzo Fodri
• 0.4 km
  Stazione meteorologica di Cremona
• 0.4 km
  Chiesa di Santa Maria Maddalena (Cremona)
• 0.4 km
  Chiesa di San Pietro al Po
• 0.4 km
  Teatro Ponchielli
• 0.4 km
  Chiesa di Sant'Agostino (Cremona)

Hamlets and villages

• 3 km
  Bosco ex Parmigiano
• 5 km
  Carettolo

Other places

• 1.7 km
  Parco del Po e del Morbasco

Getting there

Cremona has a station within walking distance: Cremona is 1.2 km from the centre. Other stations: Cremona Porta Milano (1.7 km), Cremona Porta Milano (1.7 km).

The town in numbers

Population at the censuses since 1861 and latest figure. Source: ISTAT, Wikidata.

In 1861, at the first census of united Italy, Cremona had 43,614 inhabitants. The historic peak was in 1971 with 82,094; today there are 71,093, that is 13% fewer than that peak.

Editorial texts by Italy Travel Escape; data from Wikidata, Wikipedia, ISTAT and Open-Meteo.

Cremona on the map

Nearby towns

All towns in the province of Cremona →