Exploring Cremona and Parma

Monteverdi, Stradivarius & Verdi

Exploring Cremona and Parma

Since 1566, when Andrea Amati developed the modern violin in Cremona, the Bottege Liutarie (stringed instrument workshops) of the city, have made it the world's violin capital, reaching an apogee with the instruments produced by Antonio Stradivarius. As highlights of our visit, we attend a recital on several of these incomparable historic instruments and a performance of the prestigious international Verdi Festival.

During our eight day visit we also visit Verdi’s quiet country birthplace; discover the little-known treasures of the ideal Renaissance ‘city’ of Sabbioneta; explore the artistic and epicurean delights of Parma; tour castles and private gardens and enjoy outstanding cuisine in several Slow Food restaurants.

TRIP ITINERARY

DAY 1

D included

From Milan airport we transfer by road and visit the Rocca Meli Lupi, a fine 14C castle with early Baroque furnishings and frescoes, set in an English park. Our 4 star hotel (Charme & Relax) was built in 1700 by the Princes Meli Lupi and is beautifully furnished with original antiques.

DAY 2

B, L, D included

Sabbioneta is essentially unchanged since Duke Vespasiano Gonzaga ordered its construction as an ideal fortified city in 1556. Within its hexagonal walls there are two palaces - we visit the Palazzo Ducale and the Palazzo del Giardino, admiring the frescoes depicting fruits and animals, and the Teatro all’Antica, the first in the world built as an independent structure. Our final visit is to the Synagogue (there was a Jewish community in Sabbioneta for 500 years), before we continue to San Secondo and visit the frescoed Renaissance castle.

DAY 3

B, L, D included

We visit one of the great ducal castles of Parma - Rocca Sanvitale di Fontanellato, dating from 1200, with a carp-filled moat and a vivid fresco cycle by Parmigianino. We learn about the making and ageing of Parmigiano cheese, then have lunch at a Slow Food farm restaurant producing the celebrated Parma ham.

DAY 4

B, L, D included

We visit the Museum of Parmigiano (Parmesan) in an historic dairy and admire the Romanesque cathedral of Fidenza before visiting the private Fondazione Magnani, holding works by Fillippo Lippi, Titian, Monet and Renoir. After a stroll in the ‘English’ gardens, we continue to Parma for an orientation walk. We see the extraordinary octagonal pink and cream - striped marble Baptistery and its sculpted interior (by Antelami) before visiting the 11C Duomo, one of the finest Romanesque structures in Italy, celebrated for Correggio’s vast fresco of the Assumption in the dome. Our small 3 star hotel, an elegantly converted old convent, is ideally located just a 5 minute walk from the Teatro Verdi, venue for the Verdi Festival performance.

DAY 5

B, D included

A full day in Parma, first strolling across the river to the 16C gardens of the Parco Ducale and a museum dedicated to the great conductor, Toscanini. We disperse for individual explorations - the possibilities include the Camera di San Paolo, frescoed by Correggio; the Casa della Musica; and the enormous Palazzo della Pilotta containing both the 17C Teatro Farnese and the exceptional collections of the Galleria Nazionale - works by Leonardo da Vinci, Fra Angelico, Holbein and El Greco are exhibited here.

DAY 6

B, L, D included

The morning is devoted to Giuseppe Verdi, seeing his simple birthplace before continuing to Busseto, with the Teatro Verdi and the Casa Barazzi museum. From the Villa Verdi, the composer’s atmospheric final home, we proceed to Cremona where we visit a violin workshop, then settle into our 4 star historic hotel. A short walk reveals the architectural integrity of the centre, mainly dating from the century of patronage which ensued after it was given in dowry to Bianca Maria Visconti upon her marriage to Francesco Sforza in 1441. We enjoy an aperitivo of dry prosecco, facing the beautifully floodlit façade of the Duomo, before dinner.

DAY 7

B, L, D included

Cremona’s skyline is dominated by the highest campanile in Italy, which we climb for marvellous views. By prior appointment, we are privileged to hear a violinist play some of the most celebrated instruments ever made, including Amati’s ‘Charles IX of France’ and Guarneri’s ‘Del Gesù’. The afternoon is free - perhaps shopping for cheeses or local specialities such as torrone and mostarda - before dinner in a Slow Food restaurant which presents Cremonese food at its most sophisticated.

DAY 8

B, L included

We visit the Stradivarius Museum, containing the master craftsman’s tools and drawings, and view major works by Caravaggio and Arcimboldo in the Museo Civico. After lunch we see the frescoed Renaissance church of San Sigismondo en route to the airport.

Price includes:

All accommodation for Days 1 through 8 on a double shared basis

All meals with wine at lunches and dinners, other than those excepted in the daily notation

All land transportation in a private vehicle as described except during free periods

All entrance and sightseeing fees except during free periods

A top category ticket for the concert of the Monteverdi Festival

Special appointment to hear historic violins played

Violin workshop visit

Gratuities for hotel and restaurant staff

Visa and Health Requirements

Visitors from the EU and the US currently require a valid passport, but not a visa, for entry to Italy. If you are a national of any other country, please check visa regulations with your nearest Embassy of Italy.

At present there are no specific and compulsory health requirements for entry to Italy. Residents of countries in the EU can only claim free (emergency) medical treatment in Italy by presenting their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which is issued in the UK by the Department of Health. You may also wish to check the advice given to travellers by the FCO.

Insurance

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If you are already insured, or a non-UK resident, please inform us of your policy at the time of booking.