Road of Cremonese Food in the Land of Stradivari

Immersed in the Pò valley, the province of Cremona is a borderland area between Lombardy and Emilia Romagna. This rich agricultural land offers visitors seeking particular tourist attractions countless treasures: churches, villas, castles and parish churches scattered in the main urban centres and in the peace and quiet of the countryside. The main town of the province is Cremona and the highlights of the old city centre are the beautifully preser­ved Cathedral, Baptistry, the Loggia dei Militi, the Torazzo and the Palazzo Comunale. An important cultural centre, every year it hosts important art exhibitions in the Museo Civico Ala Ponzone. Cremona is also the birthplace of Stradivari and is famous for its violin-making tradition. Today, it is still possible to visit the artisan workshops specialised in the crafting of string instruments. The Cremona territory, lying between the Po and Oglio rivers, offers beautiful artistic attractions. Villa Manfredi, built by Voghera on a pre-existing fortress, is located in Cicognolo. Torre De’ Picenardi boasts the eighteenth-century Villa Sommi-Picenardi while the Gonzaga-style square of Isola Dovarese preserves its original Renaissance layout. Piadena houses an important archeological museum with a rich collection of findings on ancient civilisations and cultures of the Po Plain. Instead, at Casteldidone we find Villa Mina della Scala. Also worth a visit is Casalmaggiore, with its Museo del Bijou and the Santuario della Madonna della Fontana, and Crema whose urban layout and numerous churches and palatial buildings testify to its glorious past. Of particular interest are the Duomo and the singular decoration of the façade, the fifteenth-century Basilica di Santa Maria della Croce and the spectacular Palazzo Terni-Bondenti. Pizzighet­tone, a fortified hamlet on the Adda River, preserves an impressive 2 km curtain wall, confirming its strategic role in the past. The main attractions at Soncino, a military fortress on the Oglio River, are the Sforza-era fortress with imposing angular towers, the Parish Church of Santa Maria Assunta and the Museum of Printing. Finally, we recommend visiting the Castello visconteo di Pandino, featuring an almost perfectly preserved architectural structure. The Cremona area attracts visitors not only thanks to its cultural and artistic heritage but also because its offers unique hospitality to the most demanding gourmet travellers who are able

to savour the true flavours of good food here.