Cremona (,
also ; ; lmo, label=
Cremunés, Cremùna; egl, Carmona) is a city and ''
comune
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces ('' province''). The can ...
'' in northern
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, situated in
Lombardy, on the left bank of the
Po river
The Po ( , ; la, Padus or ; Ancient Ligurian: or ) is the longest river in Italy. It flows eastward across northern Italy starting from the Cottian Alps. The river's length is either or , if the Maira, a right bank tributary, is included. Th ...
in the middle of the ''Pianura Padana'' (
Po Valley
The Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of the Po, or Padan Plain ( it, Pianura Padana , or ''Val Padana'') is a major geographical feature of Northern Italy. It extends approximately in an east-west direction, with an area of including its Venetic e ...
). It is the capital of the
province of Cremona
The Province of Cremona ( it, provincia di Cremona; Cremunés: ; Cremasco: ; Casalasco-Viadanese: ) is a province in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its capital city is Cremona.
The province occupies the central section of Padana Plain, so the ...
and the seat of the local city and province governments. The city of Cremona is especially noted for its musical history and traditions, including some of the earliest and most renowned
luthier
A luthier ( ; AmE also ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments that have a neck and a sound box. The word "luthier" is originally French and comes from the French word for lute. The term was originally used for makers of ...
s, such as
Giuseppe Guarneri
Bartolomeo Giuseppe "del Gesù" Guarneri (, , ; 21 August 1698 – 17 October 1744) was an Italian luthier from the Guarneri family of Cremona. He rivals Antonio Stradivari (1644–1737) with regard to the respect and reverence accorded his ...
,
Antonio Stradivari
Antonio Stradivari (, also , ; – 18 December 1737) was an Italian luthier and a craftsman of string instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas and harps. The Latinized form of his surname, '' Stradivarius'', as well as the col ...
,
Francesco Rugeri
Francesco Rugeri (Cremona, 1628; 28 October 1698), also known as Ruger, Rugier, Rugeri, Ruggeri, Ruggieri, Ruggerius, was the first of an important family of luthiers, the Casa Rugeri in Cremona, Italy. His instruments are masterfully constructe ...
,
Vincenzo Rugeri
Vincenzo Rugeri (30 September 1663 – 4 May 1719) (also known as Ruger, Rugier, Rugieri, Ruggeri, Ruggieri, Ruggerius), was an Italian luthier of string instruments such as violins, cellos, and, violas in Cremona, Italy. His instruments are noted ...
, and several members of the
Amati
Amati (, ) is the last name of a family of Italian violin makers who lived at Cremona from about 1538 to 1740. Their importance is considered equal to those of the Bergonzi, Guarneri, and Stradivari families. Today, violins created by Nicol� ...
family.
History
Ancient
Celtic origin
Cremona is first mentioned in history as a settlement of the
Cenomani The Gaulish name Cenomani can refer to:
* Aulerci Cenomani, an ancient Gallic tribe dwelling around modern Le Mans
* Cenomani (Cisalpine Gaul)
The Cenomani (Greek: , Strabo, Ptol.; , Polyb.), was an ancient tribe of the Cisalpine Gauls, who ...
, a
Gallic (
Celt
The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancien ...
ic) tribe that arrived in the
Po valley around 400 BC. However, the name Cremona most likely dates back to earlier settlers and puzzled the ancients, who gave many fanciful interpretations.
Roman military outpost
In 218 BC the
Romans established on that spot their first military outpost (a
colonia) north of the Po river, and kept the old name. Cremona and nearby Placentia (modern
Piacenza
Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...
, on the south bank of the Po), were founded in the same year, as bases for penetration into what became the Roman
Province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...
of ''
Gallia Cisalpina'' (
Cisalpine Gaul
Cisalpine Gaul ( la, Gallia Cisalpina, also called ''Gallia Citerior'' or ''Gallia Togata'') was the part of Italy inhabited by Celts ( Gauls) during the 4th and 3rd centuries BC.
After its conquest by the Roman Republic in the 200s BC it was ...
).
Cremona quickly grew into one of the largest towns in northern Italy, as it was on the main road connecting
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of t ...
to
Aquileia
Aquileia / / / / ;Bilingual name of ''Aquileja – Oglej'' in: vec, Aquiłeja / ; Slovenian: ''Oglej''), group=pron is an ancient Roman city in Italy, at the head of the Adriatic at the edge of the lagoons, about from the sea, on the river ...
, the
Via Postumia. It supplied troops to
Julius Caesar and benefited from his rule, but later supported
Marcus Iunius Brutus
Marcus Junius Brutus (; ; 85 BC – 23 October 42 BC), often referred to simply as Brutus, was a Roman politician, orator, and the most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar. After being adopted by a relative, he used the name Quintus Ser ...
and the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...
in their conflict with
Augustus
Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...
, who, having won, in 40 BC confiscated Cremona's land and redistributed it to his men. The famous poet
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...
, who went to school in Cremona, had to forfeit his ancestral farm ("too close to wretched Cremona"), but later regained it.
=Destruction
=
The city's prosperity continued to increase until 69 AD, when it was sacked and destroyed in the
Second Battle of Bedriacum by the troops of
Vespasian
Vespasian (; la, Vespasianus ; 17 November AD 9 – 23/24 June 79) was a Roman emperor who reigned from AD 69 to 79. The fourth and last emperor who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty that ruled the Em ...
under command of
Marcus Antonius Primus
Marcus Antonius Primus (born between 20 AD and 35 AD – died after 81 AD) was a senator and general of the Roman Empire.
Biography Early life
Primus was born at Tolosa (Toulouse) in Gaul. He was likely the son/grandson of Lucius Antonius (grands ...
, fighting to install him as Emperor against his rival
Vitellius
Aulus Vitellius (; ; 24 September 1520 December 69) was Roman emperor for eight months, from 19 April to 20 December AD 69. Vitellius was proclaimed emperor following the quick succession of the previous emperors Galba and Otho, in a year of c ...
.
The sacking was described by
Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars.
The surviving portions of his two major works—the ...
in Histories.
Cremona was rebuilt with the help of the new emperor Vespasian, but it seems to have failed to regain its former prosperity as it disappeared from history.
Re-emergence
In the 6th century, it resurfaced as a military outpost of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire during the
Gothic War Gothic War may refer to:
*Gothic War (248–253), battles and plundering carried out by the Goths and their allies in the Roman Empire.
*Gothic War (367–369), a war of Thervingi against the Eastern Roman Empire in which the Goths retreated to Mont ...
.
Early Middle Ages
When the
Lombards
The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774.
The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the '' History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 an ...
invaded much of Italy in the second half of the 6th century AD, Cremona remained a
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantin ...
stronghold as part of the
Exarchate of Ravenna
The Exarchate of Ravenna ( la, Exarchatus Ravennatis; el, Εξαρχάτο της Ραβέννας) or of Italy was a lordship of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) in Italy, from 584 to 751, when the last exarch was put to death by the ...
. The city expanded towards the north-west, with the creation of a great trenched camp outside the walls.
Lombard Possession
In 603 AD, Cremona was conquered by the Lombard King
Agilulf
Agilulf ( 555 – April 616), called ''the Thuringian'' and nicknamed ''Ago'', was a duke of Turin and king of the Lombards from 591 until his death.
A relative of his predecessor Authari, Agilulf was of Thuringian origin and belonged to the ...
and again destroyed. Its territory was divided between the two duchies of
Brescia
Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Ise ...
and
Bergamo
Bergamo (; lmo, Bèrghem ; from the proto- Germanic elements *''berg +*heim'', the "mountain home") is a city in the alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from Switzerland, the alpine lakes C ...
.
However, in 615 AD, Queen
Theodelinda
Theodelinda also spelled ''Theudelinde'' ( 570–628 AD), was a queen of the Lombards by marriage to two consecutive Lombard rulers, Autari and then Agilulf, and regent of Lombardia during the minority of her son Adaloald, and co-regent when h ...
, a devout Roman Catholic intent on converting her people, had Cremona rebuilt and re-installed a bishop there.
Holy Roman Vassal
Control of the city fell increasingly to its bishop, who became a
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
vassal after
Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Em ...
's conquest of Italy. In this way, Cremona increased its power and its prosperity steadily and some of its bishops had important roles between the 10th and 11th centuries. Bishop
Liutprand of Cremona was a member of the Imperial court under the
Saxony
Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
dynasty and
Olderic gained strong privileges for his city from emperor
Otto III
Otto III (June/July 980 – 23 January 1002) was Holy Roman Emperor from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of the Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu.
Otto III was crowned as King ...
. Its economy was boosted by the creation of a river port out of the former Byzantine fortress.
However, the two bishops Lambert and Ubaldo created discord with the city's people. Emperor
Conrad II
Conrad II ( – 4 June 1039), also known as and , was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdoms ...
settled the quarrel by entering Cremona in 1037 together with the young
Pope Benedict IX
Pope Benedict IX ( la, Benedictus IX; c. 1012 – c. 1056), born Theophylactus of Tusculum in Rome, was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States on three occasions between October 1032 and July 1048. Aged approximately 20 at his first ele ...
.
Medieval Commune
Under
Henry IV, Cremona refused to pay the oppressive taxes requested by the Empire and the bishop. According to a legend, the great ''gonfaloniere'' (mayor)
Giovanni Baldesio of Cremona Giovanni may refer to:
* Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname
* Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data
* ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...
faced the emperor himself in a duel. As Henry was knocked from his horse, the city was saved the annual payment of the golden ball, which, for that year, was instead given to Berta, Giovanni's girlfriend, as her dowry.
Anti-Empire
The first historical news about a free Cremona is from 1093, as it entered into an anti-Empire alliance led by
Mathilde of Canossa, together with
Lodi,
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4  ...
and
Piacenza
Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...
. The conflict ended with the defeat of Henry IV and his famous
humiliation of Canossa
The Humiliation of Canossa ( it, L'umiliazione di Canossa), sometimes called the Walk to Canossa (german: Gang nach Canossa/''Kanossa'') or the Road to Canossa, was the ritual submission of the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry IV to Pope Gregory VII ...
to
Pope Urban II
Pope Urban II ( la, Urbanus II; – 29 July 1099), otherwise known as Odo of Châtillon or Otho de Lagery, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 March 1088 to his death. He is best known for convening th ...
in 1098. Cremona gained the ''Insula Fulcheria'', the area around the nearby city of
Crema, as its territory.
After that time, the new commune warred against nearby cities to enlarge its territory. In 1107 Cremona conquered
Tortona
Tortona (; pms, Torton-a , ; lat, Dhertona) is a ''comune'' of Piemonte, in the Province of Alessandria, Italy. Tortona is sited on the right bank of the Scrivia between the plain of Marengo and the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines.
Histo ...
, but four years later its army was defeated near
Bressanoro.
As in many northern Italian cities, the people were divided into two opposing parties, the
Guelphs, who were stronger in the ''new city'', and the
Ghibellines
The Guelphs and Ghibellines (, , ; it, guelfi e ghibellini ) were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, rivalr ...
, who had their base in the ''old city''. The parties were so irreconcilable that the former built a second Communal Palace, the still existing
Palazzo Cittanova ("new city's palace").
Pro-Empire
When
Frederick Barbarossa
Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt ...
descended into Italy to assert his authority, Cremona sided with him in order to gain his support against Crema, which had rebelled with the help of
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4  ...
. The subsequent victory and its loyal imperial stance earned Cremona the right to create a mint for its own coinage in 1154.
In 1162, Imperial and Cremonese forces assaulted Milan and destroyed it.
Lombard League
However, in 1167 the city changed sides and joined the
Lombard League. Its troops were part of the army that, on 29 May 1176, defeated Barbarossa in the
Battle of Legnano
The Battle of Legnano was a battle between the imperial army of Frederick Barbarossa and the troops of the Lombard League on May 29, 1176, near the town of Legnano in present-day Lombardy, in Italy. Although the presence of the enemy nearby ...
. However, the Lombard League did not survive this victory for long. In 1213, at
Castelleone, the Cremonese defeated the League of
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4  ...
,
Lodi,
Crema,
Novara
Novara (, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It is ...
,
Como
Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label=Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como.
Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps has m ...
and
Brescia
Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Ise ...
.
In 1232, Cremona allied itself with Emperor
Frederick II, who was again trying to reassert the Empire's authority over Northern Italy. In the
Battle of Cortenuova, the Cremonese were on the winning side. Thereafter Frederick often held his court in the city.
In the
Battle of Parma
The Battle of Parma was fought on 18 February 1248 between the forces of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II and the Lombard League. The Guelphs attacked the Imperial camp when Frederick II was away. The Imperial forces were defeated''The New Cam ...
, however, the
Ghibelline
The Guelphs and Ghibellines (, , ; it, guelfi e ghibellini ) were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, ri ...
s suffered a heavy defeat and up to two thousand Cremonese were made prisoners. Some years later, Cremona took its vengeance by defeating Parma's army. Its army, under the command of
Umberto Pallavicino, captured Parma's
carroccio
A carroccio (; ) was a large four-wheeled wagon bearing the city signs around which the militia of the medieval communes gathered and fought. It was particularly common among the Lombard, Tuscan and, more generally, northern Italian municip ...
and for centuries kept the enemy's trousers hanging from the
Cathedral's ceiling as a sign of the rival's humiliation.
In 1301 the
troubadour
A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a '' trobai ...
Luchetto Gattilusio was
podestà
Podestà (, English: Potestate, Podesta) was the name given to the holder of the highest civil office in the government of the cities of Central and Northern Italy during the Late Middle Ages. Sometimes, it meant the chief magistrate of a city ...
of Cremona. During this period Cremona flourished and reached a population of up to 80,000, larger than the 69,000 of 2001.
Seignory Lords
In 1266,
Pallavicino was expelled from Cremona, and the Ghibelline rule ended after his successor
Buoso da Dovara relinquished control to a consortium of citizens. In 1271 the position of ''Capitano del Popolo'' ("People's Chieftain") was created.
In 1276 the
Signoria
A signoria () was the governing authority in many of the Italian city states during the Medieval and Renaissance periods.
The word signoria comes from ''signore'' , or "lord"; an abstract noun meaning (roughly) "government; governing authority; ...
passed to marquis Cavalcabò
Cavalcabò; in 1305 he was succeeded by his son Guglielmo Cavalcabò, who held power until 1310. During this period many edifices were created or restored including the belfry of the
Torrazzo, the
Romanesque church of San Francis, the cathedral's transepts and the Loggia dei Militi. Moreover, agriculture was boosted with a new network of canals.
After some foreign invasions (notably that of Emperor
Henry VII in 1311), the Cavalcabò lasted until 29 November 1322, when a more powerful family, the
Visconti of
Galeazzo I, came to prominence that in Cremona was to last for a century and a half. The Visconti's signoria (lordship) was interrupted in 1327 by
Ludwig the Bavarian, in 1331 by
John of Bohemia
John the Blind or John of Luxembourg ( lb, Jang de Blannen; german: link=no, Johann der Blinde; cz, Jan Lucemburský; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King ...
, and in 1403 by a short-lived return of the Cavalcabò. On 25 July 1406, captain
Cabrino Fondulo killed his employer Ubaldo Cavalcabò along with all the male members of his family, and assumed control over Cremona. However, he was unable to face the task, and ceded the city back to the Visconti for a payment of 40,000 golden florins.
Thus
made his signoria hereditary. Cremona became part of the
Duchy of Milan
The Duchy of Milan ( it, Ducato di Milano; lmo, Ducaa de Milan) was a state in northern Italy, created in 1395 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, then the lord of Milan, and a member of the important Visconti family, which had been ruling the city sinc ...
, following its fate until the
unification of Italy
The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single s ...
. Under the Visconti and later the
Sforza
The House of Sforza () was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan. They acquired the Duchy of Milan following the extinction of the Visconti family in the mid-15th century, Sforza rule ending in Milan with the death of the last mem ...
, Cremona underwent high cultural and religious development. In 1411 Palazzo Cittanova become the seat of the university of
fustian
Fustian is a variety of heavy cloth woven from cotton, chiefly prepared for menswear. It is also used figuratively to refer to pompous, inflated or pretentious writing or speech, from at least the time of Shakespeare. This literary use is bec ...
merchants.
In 1441 the city hosted the marriage of
Francesco I Sforza
Francesco I Sforza (; 23 July 1401 – 8 March 1466) was an Italian condottiero who founded the Sforza dynasty in the duchy of Milan, ruling as its (fourth) duke from 1450 until his death. In the 1420s, he participated in the War of L ...
and
Bianca Maria Visconti
Bianca Maria Visconti (31 March 1425 – 28 October 1468) was Duchess of Milan from 1450 to 1468 by marriage to Francesco I Sforza. She was regent of Marche during the absence of her spouse in 1448. She served as Regent of the Duchy of Milan dur ...
in the temple built by the
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, found ...
s, which today is the church of Saint Sigismund. For that occasion a new
sweet
Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, keto ...
was devised, which evolved into the famous
torrone.
Ludovico il Moro
Ludovico Maria Sforza (; 27 July 1452 – 27 May 1508), also known as Ludovico il Moro (; "the Moor"). "Arbiter of Italy", according to the expression used by Guicciardini, assisted in the financing of several building projects for the cathedral, the church of St. Agatha and the Communal Palace.
In 1446, Cremona was encircled by the
condottieri
''Condottieri'' (; singular ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian captains in command of mercenary companies during the Middle Ages and of multinational armies during the early modern period. They notably served popes and other Eur ...
troops of
Francesco Piccinino
260px, Latin epitaph of Francesco Piccinino.
Francesco Piccinino (c. 1407 – 16 October 1449) was an Italian condottiero.
He was the adopted son of the condottiero Niccolò Piccinino, (1386-1444), making him the adopted brother of Jacopo P ...
and
Luigi dal Verme
Luigi dal Verme (died 1449) was an Italian people, Italian condottiero.
The son of the condottiero Jacopo dal Verme, initially he followed the latter's campaigns, then fought in the company of Muzio Sforza, Muzio Attendolo in the war against Joan ...
. The siege was raised after the arrival of
Scaramuccia da Forlì from
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
.
Foreign occupations
Republic of Venice
From 1499 to 1509 Cremona was under Venetian control.
The victory of the Italian League at
Agnadello
Agnadello ( Cremasco: or ) is a ''comune'' and village in the province of Cremona, Lombardy, northern Italy. It was the location of the battle of Agnadello in which Louis XII of France
Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), was King of Fra ...
gave it back to the Duchy of Milan.
Spain
However, Cremona was assigned to
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
under the
Treaty of Noyon (1513). Cremona fell to the new rulers only in 1524 when the Castle of Santa Croce surrendered. The French were finally expelled from the duchy two years later, with the
Treaty of Madrid, and subsequently Cremona remained a Spanish dominion for many years. During that time several building improvements or additions were made, including the Loggia of the cathedral's Porch by
Lorenzo Trotti
Lorenzo Trotti (1633 – 30 September 1700) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop (Personal Title) of Pavia (1672–1700), Apostolic Nuncio to Venice (1668–1671), Apostolic Nuncio to Florence (1666–1668), and Titular Archbisho ...
(1550) and the new church of San Siro and Sepolcro by
Antonio Gialdini
Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular mal ...
(1614).
During Spanish rule, Cremona saw the famine of 1628 and the
plague of 1630.
Austria
The duchy, after a short-lived French conquest in 1701 during the
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phili ...
, passed to Austria on 10 April 1707.

''For later history, see
Lombardy''
Government
Architecture
Churches
The
Cathedral of Cremona
Cremona Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Cremona, ''Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta''), dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Catholic cathedral in Cremona, Lombardy, northern Italy. It is the seat of the Bishop of Cremona. Its ...
with the annexed
Baptistery
In Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry ( Old French ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptisterium''; Greek , 'bathing-place, baptistery', from , baptízein, 'to baptize') is the separate centrally planned structure surrounding the baptisma ...
constitutes one of the most notable sites for Romanesque-Gothic art in northern Italy.
Other churches include:
*
Sant'Agata
*
Sant'Agostino
*
San Facio
*
San Girolamo San Girolamo may refer to:
* San Girolamo, Italian for Saint Jerome
* Marconi-San Girolamo-Fesca, quarter of Bari, region of Apulia, Italy
* San Girolamo, Cremona, a 17th-century, Baroque style, Roman Catholic church in Cremona, region of Lombardy ...
*
San Luca
*
Santa Lucia
Santa Lucia and similar terms may refer to:
Architecture
* Abbey of Santa Lucia, a medieval abbey in the comune of Rocca di Cambio, Abruzzo, central Italy
* Monastero di Santa Lucia, Adrano, a former Benedictine monastery in Catania, Italy
* S ...
*
San Marcellino
*
San Michele
*
San Pietro al Po
*
Santa Rita Santa Rita may refer to:
* Rita of Cascia (1381–1457), Catholic saint
*Associação Atlética Santa Rita, a Brazilian football (soccer) club
*Santa Rita de Cássia FC, an Angolan football (soccer) club
Places Belize
* Santa Rita, Corozal, a Ma ...
*
San Sigismondo
Buildings
* The
Torrazzo, the third highest
brickwork
Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar. Typically, rows of bricks called ''courses'' are laid on top of one another to build up a structure such as a brick wall.
Bricks may be differentiated from blocks by ...
bell tower in Europe
*
Loggia dei Militi
*
Palazzo Cittanova
*
Palazzo Fodri
*
Palazzo Comunale
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...
*
Teatro Ponchielli
*
Museo Berenziano
*
Museo della Civiltà Contadina
*
Museo Civico Ala Ponzone
*
Museo del violino
Economy
The economy of Cremona is deeply linked to the agricultural production of the countryside. Food industries include salted meat, sweets (
torrone), vegetable oils,
grana padano
Grana Padano is a cheese originating in the Po river Valley in northern Italy that is similar to Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. There are less strict regulations governing its production compared to Parmigiano Reggiano. This hard, crumbly- texture ...
,
provolone
Provolone (, ) is an Italian cheese. It is an aged '' pasta filata'' (stretched-curd) cheese originating in Campania near Vesuvius, where it is still produced in pear, sausage, or cone shapes long. Provolone-type cheeses are also produced in ot ...
and "
mostarda" (candied fruit in spicy mustard-flavored syrup, served with meats and cheese). Heavy industries include steel, oil and one electric plant. The river-port is a base for the barges transporting goods along the Po river.
Music
Cremona has a distinguished musical history. The 12th-century cathedral was a focus of organized musical activity in the region in the
late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Ren ...
. By the 16th century the town had become a famous musical centre. Nowadays there are important ''ensembles'' for Renaissance and Baroque music, i.e
Choir & Consort ''Costanzo Porta'' and festivals which maintain Cremona as one of the most important towns in Italy for music. Composer
Marc'Antonio Ingegneri
Marc'Antonio Ingegneri (also spelled Ingegnieri, Ingignieri, Ingignero, Inzegneri) (c. 1535 or 1536 – 1 July 1592) was an Italian composer of the late Renaissance. He was born in Verona and died in Cremona. Even though he spent most of his life w ...
taught there;
Claudio Monteverdi
Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string player. A composer of both secular and sacred music, and a pioneer in the development of opera, he is conside ...
was his most famous student, before leaving for
Mantua
Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard language, Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, province of the same name.
In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture ...
in 1591. Cremona was the birthplace of
Pierre-Francisque Caroubel
Pierre-Francisque Caroubel (1556 – summer 1611 or 1615Michael Praetorius
Michael Praetorius (probably 28 September 1571 – 15 February 1621) was a German composer, organist, and music theorist. He was one of the most versatile composers of his age, being particularly significant in the development of musical forms b ...
. The
bishop of Cremona
The Diocese of Cremona ( la, Dioecesis Cremonensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in northern Italy. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Milan. ...
, Nicolò Sfondrati, a fervent supporter of the
Counter-Reformation, became
Pope Gregory XIV
Pope Gregory XIV ( la, Gregorius XIV; it, Gregorio XIV; 11 February 1535 – 16 October 1591), born Niccolò Sfondrato or Sfondrati, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 5 December 1590 to his death in October ...
in 1590. Since he was an equally fervent patron of music, the renown of the town as a musical destination grew accordingly.
Beginning in the 16th century, Cremona became renowned as a centre of musical instrument manufacture, with the violins of the
Amati
Amati (, ) is the last name of a family of Italian violin makers who lived at Cremona from about 1538 to 1740. Their importance is considered equal to those of the Bergonzi, Guarneri, and Stradivari families. Today, violins created by Nicol� ...
and
Rugeri families, and later the products of the
Guarneri
The Guarneri (, , ), often referred to in the Latinized form Guarnerius, is the family name of a group of distinguished luthiers from Cremona in Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries, whose standing is considered comparable to those of the Amati a ...
and
Stradivari workshops. To the present day, their handmade work is widely considered to be the summit of achievement in string instrument making. Cremona is still renowned for producing high-quality instruments, rare examples of which can be seen when visiting the local
Museo del Violino. In 2012 the "''
Traditional violin craftsmanship in Cremona''" was declared an
intangible cultural heritage by
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...
. Internationally, the city's craftsmen are renowned for the unique process used in crafting bowed stringed instruments which are assembled and moulded by hand without using any industrial materials.
Cremona had a band tradition linked to the ''Guardia nazionale'' founded under Napoleonic influence. In 1864, native son
Amilcare Ponchielli
Amilcare Ponchielli (, ; 31 August 1834 – 16 January 1886) was an Italian opera composer, best known for his opera ''La Gioconda''. He was married to the soprano Teresina Brambilla.
Life and work
Born in Paderno Fasolaro (now Paderno Ponchie ...
became its leader and created what might be considered one of the greatest bands of all time. In his role as ''capobanda'', Ponchielli founded a band school and a tradition that waned only at the onset of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
.
Transport
Cremona railway station, opened in 1863, is a terminus of six railway lines, all of which are regional (semi-fast) or local services.
Main destinations are
Pavia
Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the cap ...
,
Mantua
Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard language, Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, province of the same name.
In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture ...
,
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4  ...
,
Treviglio
Treviglio (, Bergamasque: ) is a town and ''comune'' (i.e. municipality) in the province of Bergamo, in Lombardy, Northern Italy. It lies south of the province capital, in the lower territory called "Bassa Bergamasca".
It's also part of the geo ...
,
Parma
Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second mos ...
,
Brescia
Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Ise ...
,
Piacenza
Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...
and
Fidenza
Fidenza (Parmigiano: ; locally ) is a town and ''comune ''in the province of Parma, Emilia-Romagna region, Italy. It has around 27,000 inhabitants. The town was renamed Fidenza in 1927, recalling its Roman name of ''Fidentia''; before, it was ca ...
.
Sport
Cremona's favourite sport is
football. The
U.S. Cremonese played for several years in
Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Copp ...
, its most renowned players being
Aristide Guarneri,
Emiliano Mondonico
Emiliano Mondonico (9 March 1947 – 29 March 2018) was an Italian professional footballer and coach. He played as a winger.
His playing career was spent mostly with Cremonese, where it began and ended. Mondonico's 31-year-long managerial care ...
,
Antonio Cabrini
Antonio Cabrini (; born 8 October 1957) is an Italian professional football manager and a former player. He played left-back, mainly with Juventus. He won the 1982 FIFA World Cup with the Italy national team. Cabrini was nicknamed ''Bell'Ant ...
and
Gianluca Vialli
Gianluca Vialli (; born 9 July 1964) is an Italian former football manager and player who played as a striker. Since retiring, he has gone into management, punditry and worked previously as a commentator for Sky Sport Italia. He is currently ...
— all born in or near Cremona. The brightest page in the more than one-century-old history of Cremonese was written in the early 1990s, when the president of the team was Domenico Luzzara and the coach was
Gigi Simoni; the team managed to stay in Serie A for three consecutive years, ending one championship at tenth place. By defeating English team
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 1884 ...
in the Final to win the
Anglo-Italian Cup
The Anglo-Italian Cup ( it, Coppa Anglo-Italiana, also known as the Anglo-Italian Inter-League Clubs Competition and from 1976 to 1986 as the Alitalia Challenge Cup, Talbot Challenge Cup or Gigi Peronace Memorial) is a defunct European football c ...
(27 March 1993), Cremonese became the second Italian team in football history to win at
Wembley
Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
.
Cremona, by the 1980s, had built a strong basketball tradition, now brought on by
Vanoli Basket
Guerino Vanoli Basket, also known as Vanoli Cremona, is a professional basketball team of the city of Cremona. The team played in the LBA, the top Italian basketball league, for 12 years until 2021.
From 1999 to 2011 the society had the name of ...
, a team from
Soresina
Soresina ( Soresinese: ) is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cremona in the Italian region Lombardy, located about southeast of Milan and about northwest of Cremona.
It received the honorary title of city with a presidential dec ...
which however usually plays in Cremona.
Cremona has also a
waterpolo
Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the ...
club that play in the regional divisions.
There is a century-old tradition in
rowing
Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically at ...
and
canoe racing
A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle.
In British English, the term ...
, with three different clubs, located along the Po river, that trained many world and Olympic champions.
Twin towns — sister cities
Cremona is
twinned
Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to:
* In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so;
* Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning
* Twinning inst ...
with:
*
Alaquàs
Alaquàs (; es, Alacuás) is a municipality in the Horta Oest ''comarca'' in the Valencian Community.
Etymology
The town's name is of Arabic origin, coming from ''al-aquas'' (الأقواس), meaning "the arches", believed to be a reference to ...
, Spain, since 2004
*
Krasnoyarsk
Krasnoyarsk ( ; rus, Красноя́рск, a=Ru-Красноярск2.ogg, p=krəsnɐˈjarsk) (in semantic translation - Red Ravine City) is the largest city and administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is situated along the Yen ...
, Russia, since 2006
*
Füssen
Füssen is a town in Bavaria, Germany, in the district of Ostallgäu, situated one kilometre from the Austrian border. The town is known for violin manufacturing and as the closest transportation hub for the Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau c ...
, Germany, since 2018
People
Notable people born in or associated with Cremona include:
*
Andrea Amati
Andrea Amati was a luthier, from Cremona, Italy.
Amati is credited with making the first instruments of the violin family that are in the form we use today.
Several of his instruments survive to the present day, and some of them can still be p ...
,
luthier
A luthier ( ; AmE also ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments that have a neck and a sound box. The word "luthier" is originally French and comes from the French word for lute. The term was originally used for makers of ...
*
Nicolò Amati
Nicola Amati, Nicolò Amati or Nicolao Amati (, ; 3 September 1596 – 12 April 1684) was an Italian master luthier from Cremona, Italy. Amati is one of the most well-known luthiers from the Casa Amati (House of Amati). He was the teacher of i ...
, luthier
*
Sofonisba Anguissola, painter of the Renaissance
*
Gaspare Aselli
Gaspare Aselli (or Asellio) ( – 9 September 1625). was an Italian physician noted for the discovery of the lacteal vessels of the lymphatic system. Aselli discovered (or rediscovered) the chylous vessels, and studied systematically the signifi ...
, physician
*
Francesco Aureri
Francesco Aureri (active 1568–1578) was an Italian sculptor of the Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering t ...
, sculptor
*
Eugenio Beltrami, mathematician
*
Francesco Bianchi, composer
*
Leonida Bissolati, leading exponent of the Italian
socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...
movement at the turn of the nineteenth century
*
Antonio Cabrini
Antonio Cabrini (; born 8 October 1957) is an Italian professional football manager and a former player. He played left-back, mainly with Juventus. He won the 1982 FIFA World Cup with the Italy national team. Cabrini was nicknamed ''Bell'Ant ...
, footballer and manager
*
Bernardino Campi, painter
*
Giulio Campi
Giulio Campi (1502 – 5 March 1572) was an Italian painter and architect. His brothers Vincenzo Campi and Antonio Campi were also renowned painters.
Biography
The eldest of a family prominent painters, Campi was born at Cremona. His father Gale ...
, painter
*
Massimo Capra, Italian-born Canadian celebrity chef
*
Giulio Calvi, Renaissance painter
*
Luca Cattapani, late Renaissance painter
*
Sergio Cofferati, member of European Parliament and former mayor of Bologna
*
Walter Corsanini, football player
*
Gerard of Cremona
Gerard of Cremona (Latin: ''Gerardus Cremonensis''; c. 1114 – 1187) was an Italian translator of scientific books from Arabic into Latin. He worked in Toledo, Kingdom of Castile and obtained the Arabic books in the libraries at Toledo. Some of ...
, translator of scientific books from Arabic into Latin
*
Francesco and Giuseppe Dattaro, father and son team of architects
*
Sandrone Dazieri
Sandrone Dazieri (born 4 November 1964) is a popular Italian crime writer. His most famous work is the Gorilla series, an episode of which was also dramatized as a television film.
Biography
He was born in Cremona in 1964. He graduated at San P ...
, crime writer
*
Roberto Farinacci
Roberto Farinacci (; 16 October 1892 – 28 April 1945) was a leading Italian Fascist politician and important member of the National Fascist Party before and during World War II as well as one of its ardent antisemitic proponents. English histo ...
, fascist politician
*
Giacomo Gentili, world rowing champion
*
Arcangelo Ghisleri
Arcangelo Ghisleri (5 September 1855 – 19 August 1938) was an Italian geographer, writer, and Socialist politician.
Ghisleri was born in the '' comune'' of Persico Dosimo (in today's province of Cremona).
A well known geographer by profe ...
, geographer, writer, and politician
*
Luigi Guido Grandi
Guido Grandi
Dom Guido Grandi, O.S.B. Cam. (1 October 1671 – 4 July 1742) was an Italian monk, priest, philosopher, theologian, mathematician, and engineer.
Life
Grandi was born on 1 October 1671 in Cremona, Italy and christened Lu ...
, monk, priest, philosopher, theologian, mathematician, and engineer
*
Giuseppe Guarneri
Bartolomeo Giuseppe "del Gesù" Guarneri (, , ; 21 August 1698 – 17 October 1744) was an Italian luthier from the Guarneri family of Cremona. He rivals Antonio Stradivari (1644–1737) with regard to the respect and reverence accorded his ...
, luthier
*
Manolo Guindani, retired footballer and manager
*
Saint Homobonus,
patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholic Church, Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocacy, advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, ...
of Cremona, as well as
business people,
tailor
A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century.
History
Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...
s,
shoemakers
Shoemaking is the process of making footwear.
Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or cobblers (also known as ''cordwainers''). In the 18th century, dozens or even hundreds of masters, journeymen a ...
, and
cloth
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...
workers
*
Liutprand of Cremona, bishop of Cremona, historian, and author
*
Giovanni Lucchi
Giovanni Lucchi (21 August 1942, in Cesena, Italy – 2 August 2012, in Cremona, Italy) was an Italian bow maker noted for founding the first school of bow making in Italy.
Background
Giovanni Lucchi trained as a double bassist, graduating from ...
, bowmaker
*
Filippo de Lurano
Filippo de Lurano (also Luprano, or Lorano) (c. 1475 – after 1520) was an Italian composer of the Renaissance music, Renaissance. He was one of the most prolific composers of frottola after Marchetto Cara and Bartolomeo Tromboncino.
Biograp ...
, early 16th-century composer
*
Alessandro Magnoli Bocchi
Alessandro Magnoli Bocchi (born 25 April 1968), is an Italian economist and manager.
Biography
Born in 1968 in Cremona, Italy, he graduated from Liceo Classico "Daniele Manin". In 1986 he moved to Milan, Italy to attend Bocconi University. From 19 ...
, Italian economist
*
Franco Mari
Franco Mari (born 23 January 1947) is an Italian actor and comedian. Better known as Rupert Sciamenna, his most well-known character, he is famous for his participation in television programs such as Mai dire... on Italia 1 in many sketches with ...
, actor
*
Primo Mazzolari
Primo Mazzolari (13 January 1890 – 12 April 1959), best known as don Primo, was an Italian priest of the Catholic Church. He was also a partisan and writer who established the review ''Adesso'' ("Now") in 1949.
Known as the priest of Bozzolo ...
, priest and writer
*
Altobello Melone, painter
*
Tarquinio Merula
Tarquinio Merula (24 November 1595 – 10 December 1665) was an Italian composer, organist, and violinist of the early Baroque era. Although mainly active in Cremona, stylistically he was a member of the Venetian school. He was one of the most ...
, composer of the Baroque era
*
Mina, singer (nicknamed the ''Tiger of Cremona'')
*
Claudio Monteverdi
Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string player. A composer of both secular and sacred music, and a pioneer in the development of opera, he is conside ...
, composer of the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras
*
Benedetto Pallavicino Benedetto Pallavicino (c. 1551 – 26 November 1601) was an Italian composer and organist of the late Renaissance. A prolific composer of madrigals, he was resident at the Gonzaga court of Mantua in the 1590s, where he was a close associate of G ...
, composer of the Renaissance
*
Oreste Perri
Oreste Perri (born 27 June 1951) is an Italian sprint canoeist (and later politician) who competed from the early 1970s to the early 1980s.
Biography
Perri was born in Castelverde, in the province of Cremona. He won six medals at the ICF Canoe ...
, sprint canoeist in the 1970s and mayor of Cremona from June 2009 to June 2014
*
Amilcare Ponchielli
Amilcare Ponchielli (, ; 31 August 1834 – 16 January 1886) was an Italian opera composer, best known for his opera ''La Gioconda''. He was married to the soprano Teresina Brambilla.
Life and work
Born in Paderno Fasolaro (now Paderno Ponchie ...
, composer
*
Costanzo Porta
Costanzo Porta (1528 or 1529 – 19 May 1601) was an Italian composer of the Renaissance, and a representative of what is known today as the Venetian School. He was highly praised throughout his life both as a composer and a teacher, and had ...
, composer of the Renaissance
*
Girolamo del Prato Girolamo del Prato was an Italian draughtsman, sculptor, niellist, and goldsmith, flourished at Cremona in the first half of the 16th century. He has been sometimes called the ''Lombard Cellini''.
References
*
Italian draughtsmen
Italian Baro ...
, sculptor and craftsman
*
Aldo Protti, opera singer
*
Quartetto di Cremona, Italian string quartet
*
Publius Quinctilius Varus
Publius Quinctilius Varus ( Cremona, 46 BC – Teutoburg Forest, AD 9) was a Roman general and politician under the first Roman emperor Augustus. Varus is generally remembered for having lost three Roman legions when ambushed by Germanic tribe ...
, Roman general and politician
*
Francesco Rugeri
Francesco Rugeri (Cremona, 1628; 28 October 1698), also known as Ruger, Rugier, Rugeri, Ruggeri, Ruggieri, Ruggerius, was the first of an important family of luthiers, the Casa Rugeri in Cremona, Italy. His instruments are masterfully constructe ...
, luthier
*
Vincenzo Rugeri
Vincenzo Rugeri (30 September 1663 – 4 May 1719) (also known as Ruger, Rugier, Rugieri, Ruggeri, Ruggieri, Ruggerius), was an Italian luthier of string instruments such as violins, cellos, and, violas in Cremona, Italy. His instruments are noted ...
, luthier
*
Sicard of Cremona, prelate, historian and writer
*
Antonio Stradivari
Antonio Stradivari (, also , ; – 18 December 1737) was an Italian luthier and a craftsman of string instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas and harps. The Latinized form of his surname, '' Stradivarius'', as well as the col ...
, renowned luthier
*
Ugo Tognazzi
Ugo Tognazzi (23 March 1922 – 27 October 1990) was an Italian actor, director, and screenwriter.
Early life
Tognazzi was born in Cremona, in northern Italy but spent his youth in various localities as his father was a travelling clerk fo ...
, actor, director, and screenwriter
*
Juanelo Turriano, clockmaker, engineer, and mathematician
*
Pietro Dalle Vedove
Pietro Dalle Vedove (or Delle Vedove in other sources; born August 19, 1903 in Cremona) was an Italian professional football player.
He played 6 games in the Serie A in the 1929/30 season for A.S. Roma
' (''Rome Sport Association''), comm ...
, football player
*
Gianluca Vialli
Gianluca Vialli (; born 9 July 1964) is an Italian former football manager and player who played as a striker. Since retiring, he has gone into management, punditry and worked previously as a commentator for Sky Sport Italia. He is currently ...
, footballer and manager
*
Marco Girolamo Vida
Marco Girolamo Vida or Marcus Hieronymus Vida (1485? – September 27, 1566) was an Italian humanist, bishop and poet.
Life
Marco was born at Cremona, the son of the consular (patrician) Guglielmo Vida, and Leona Oscasale. He had two brother ...
, bishop
*
Chiara Ferragni, influencer
[ Chiara Ferragni]
References
Bibliography
External links
City's portal* http://www.cremonamusica.com/
{{Authority control
218 BC
210s BC establishments
Roman towns and cities in Italy
Cities and towns in Lombardy
Territories of the Republic of Venice