Tourism Cremona - Italy

Cremona: Tourism information Cremona

Cremona

Cremona is a city in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left shore of the Po river in the middle of the Pianura padana (Po valley). It is the capital of the province of Cremona.

Cremona: History

Ancient city
Cremona is first mentioned in history as a settlement of the Cenomani, a Gallic(Celtic) tribe that arrived in the Po valley around 400 BC. However, the name Cremona was given (most probably) by earlier settlers. In 218 BC the Romans established there their first military outpost (a colonia) north of the Po river. Cremona and nearby Placentia (modern Piacenza, south of the Po), were founded in the same year, as bases for penetration into what became the Roman Province of Gallia Cisalpina (Cisalpine Gaul). Cremona quickly grew into one of the largest towns in northern Italy, as it was on the main road connecting Genoa to Aquileia, the Via Postumia. It supplied troops to Julius Caesar and benefited from his rule, but later supported Marcus Iunius Brutus and the Senate in their conflict with Augustus, who, having won, in 40 BC confiscated Cremona's land and redistributed it to his men. The famous poet Virgil, who went to school in Cremona, had to forfeit his ancestral farm ("too close to wretched Cremona"), but later regained it. The city's prosperity continued to increase until 69, when it was destroyed in the Second Battle of Bedriacum by the troops of Vespasian, fighting to install him as Emperor against his rival Vitellius. Cremona was rebuilt with the help of Vespasian himself, but it seems to have failed to regain its former prosperity as it disappeared from history until the sixth century, when it resurfaces as a military outpost of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire during the Gothic War.

The city in the High Middle Ages
When the Lombards invaded much of Italy in the second half of 6th century, Cremona remained a Byzantine stronghold as part of the Exarchate of Ravenna. The city expanded towards the north-west, with the creation of a great trenched camp outside the walls. In 603, it was conquered by the Lombard king Agilulf and again destroyed. Its territory was divided between the two duchies of Brescia and Bergamo. However, in 615 queen Theodelinda, a devout Roman Catholic intent on converting her people, had Cremona rebuilt and re-installed a bishop there. Control of the city fell increasingly to its bishop, who become a Holy Roman Empire vassal after Charlemagne'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 dynasty and Olderic gained strong privileges for his city from emperor Otto III. 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 settled the quarrel by entering in Cremona in 1037 together with the young Pope Benedict IX.

Cremona as a 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 faced the emperor himself in a duel. As Henry was knocked from his horse, the city was saved the annual payment of the 3 Kg. golden ball, which, for that year, was instead given to Berta, Giovanni's girlfriend, as her dowry. 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 and Piacenza. The conflict ended with the defeat of Henry IV and his famous humiliation of Canossa to Pope Urban II in 1098. Cremona gained the Insula Fulcheria, the area around the nearby city of Crema, as its territory.
From this time, the new commune warred against nearby cities to enlarge its territory. In 1107, Cremona conquered Tortona, but four years later its army was heavily 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, 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").
When Frederick Barbarossa 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. 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 the Cremonese forces assaulted Milan and destroyed it. However, in 1167 the city changed side and joined the Lombard League. Its troops were part of the army that, on May 29, 1176, defeated Barbarossa in the Battle of Legnano. However, the Lombard League did not survive this victory for long. In 1213, at Castelleone, the Cremonese defeated the League of Milan, Lodi, Crema, Novara, Como and Brescia. 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, however, the Ghibellines suffered a heavy defeat and up to two thousand Cremonese were made prisoners.
Some year later Cremona took its vengeance by defeating Parma's army. Its army, under the command of Umberto Pallavicino, captured Parma's carroccio and for centuries kept the enemy's trousers hanging from the Cathedral's ceiling as a sign of the rival's humiliation.
During this period Cremona flourished and reached a population of up to 80,000, compared to the 69,000 of 2001. It was one of the greatest cities of Europe.

The Seignory
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 seignory passed to marquis Cavalcabò Cavalcabò, who in 1305 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 November 29, 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 seignory was interrupted in 1327 by Ludwig the Bavarian, in 1331 by John of Bohemia, and in 1403 by a short-lived return of the Cavalcabò. On July 25, 1406, the captain Cabrino Fondulo killed his employer Ubaldo Cavalcabò along with all the male members of his family, and assumed control over Cremona. Later, as he was revealed as unable to face the task, he ceded back the city to the Visconti for a payment of 40,000 golden florins.
Thus Filippo Maria Visconti made his seignory hereditary. Cremona became part of the Duchy of Milan, following its fate until the unification of Italy. Under the Visconti and later the Sforza Cremona underwent high cultural and religious development. In 1411 Palazzo Cittanova become the seat of the University of fustian merchants. In 1441 the city hosted the marriage of Francesco I Sforza and Bianca Maria Visconti in the temple built by the Benedictines, which today is the church of Saint Sigismund. In that occasion a new sweet was devised, which was later turned into the famous torrone. Ludovico il Moro supported the building of several operas for the Cathedral, the church of St. Agatha and the Communal Palace.
In 1446 Cremona was encircled by the condottieri troops of Francesco Piccinino and Luigi dal Verme. The siege was raised after the arrival of Scaramuccia da Forlì from Venice.

Cremona: Main monuments

Main churches
Cathedral
San Michele
San Luca
San Sigismondo
Sant'Agostino
Sant'Agata
San Marcellino
Santa Lucia
Santa Rita
San Pietro al Po
Baptistry

Other notable buildings
The Torrazzo, presumably the highest bell tower of Italy
Loggia dei Militi
Palazzo Cittanova
Palazzo Fodri
Palazzo Comunale
Teatro Ponchielli
Museo Civico Ala Ponzone
Museo Stradivariano
Museo della Civiltà Contadina
Museo Berenziano
Other notable locations
Le colonie padane

Cremona localities:
AGNADELLO Annicco Azzanello Bagnolo Cremasco Bonemerse Bordolano Ca'' D''andrea Calvatone Camisano Campagnola Cremasca Capergnanica Cappella Cantone Cappella De'' Picenardi Capralba Casalbuttano Ed Uniti Casale Cremasco Vidolasco Casaletto Ceredano Casaletto Di Sopra Casaletto Vaprio Casalmaggiore Casalmorano Castel Gabbiano Casteldidone Castelleone Castelverde Castelvisconti Cella Dati Chieve Cicognolo Cingia De'' Botti Corte De'' Cortesi Corte De'' Frati Credera Rubbiano Crema Cremona Cremosano Crotta D''adda Cumignano Sul Naviglio Derovere Dovera Drizzona Fiesco Formigara Gabbioneta Binanuova Gadesco Pieve Delmona Genivolta Gerre De'' Caprioli Gombito Grontardo Grumello Cremonese Gussola Isola Dovarese Izano Madignano Malagnino Martignana Di Po Monte Cremasco Montodine Moscazzano Motta Baluffi Offanengo Olmeneta Ostiano Paderno Ponchielli Palazzo Pignano Pandino Persico Dosimo Pescarolo Ed Uniti Pessina Cremonese Piadena Pianengo Pieranica Pieve D''olmi Pieve San Giacomo PIZZIGHETTONE Pozzaglio Ed Uniti Quintano Ricengo Ripalta Arpina Ripalta Cremasca Ripalta Guerina Rivarolo Del Re Ed Uniti Rivolta D''adda Robecco D''oglio Romanengo Salvirola San Bassano San Daniele Po San Giovanni In Croce San Martino Del Lago Scandolara Ravara Scandolara Ripa D''oglio Sergnano Sesto Ed Uniti Solarolo Rainerio Soncino Soresina Sospiro Spinadesco Spineda Spino D''adda Stagno Lombardo Ticengo TORLINO VIMERCATI Tornata Torre De'' Picenardi Torricella Del Pizzo Trescore Cremasco Trigolo Vaiano Cremasco Vailate Vescovato Volongo Voltido

Part of the information regarding the history, the art, the traditions and the events of the province of present Cremona on this page is drawn from the situated one www.wikipedia.org respecting the GNU Free Documentation License.