Top 7 Specialty Museums in Cremona, Lombardy

Reviewed By D3bsa

Who would have thought that a museum full of ‘dusty old violins’ could be so interesting!? We travelled to Cremona so I could fulfill a long-held ambition to see a Stradivavius violin in real life. I wasn’t expecting much from the museum. But...we were totally blown away by this amazing facility. The interactive media presentations before and after the ‘main event’ of feasting your eyes on these incredible works of art and craftsmanship were all very engaging. Our experience was helped by the fact that there were maybe only 6 other visitors in the place on the day we went. Tip: go now, while tourist numbers are generally low due to Covid-19 and go to the museum when it opens at 11:00. The ‘treasure room’ contains the museum’s collection of Amati, Guarneri, and Stradivari violins, violas, etc. We were actually the only people in the room during our viewing, so we could spend as long as we liked with our noses practically pressed agains the cases. A knowledgeable security guard was happy to answer my host of questions. In addition to the their Old Masters, the museum also houses many other violins from the 18th C to the modern day. Currently there is a small exhibition of Old Master violins on loan from the US National Music Museum in South Dakota (who knew?). It was a great experience and very worthwhile if you are at all interested in music, instruments or culture in general. You will learn a lot and be totally amazed!