Buongiornio Cremona

It seems that I have been posting a lot in a short amount of time, but now that I have the luxury of internet in my apartment once more I can update as soon as I write. This past Friday I didn't have any class so I set out for Cremona with Rose. Ever since I found out that I was a mere hour and forty minutes away from the home of Stradivarius, Amati and other masters of violin making I knew that I had to go. The town was cute and small, there was a lot less going on than in Verona, but I got to see a lot of cool things. After wandering around a bit looking for the main square (this can be very difficult without a map) we finally found the tourist office. We grabbed a sandwich and immedietely went to one of the government buildings that had a collection of Stradivarius' and Amatis. We actually had to call someone to come let us in, so I assume they don't get a lot of visitors this time of year. The exhibit was cool but not much to see. Of course, anyone who plays would agree that it seemed like such a same just looking at the instruments suspended in glass boxes and not being played. Luckily, I read that they are taken out periodically and played and concerts are even performed. After the exhibit we followed some signs that led to where some current Violin makers workshops were. I didn't walk in and try any violins, but we were able to peak through the windows and see them at work. It is cool to know that the tradition in this town has continued for hundreds of years. (even if the makers were mostly Chinese and Russian) I also love that violins are still made by hand, in largely the same manner as before. This is what makes them so expensive, but it also makes each violin unique and precious.

The real exhibit was the actual Stradivarius Museum which is located in the Civic Museum. I got very excited and whipped past all of the paintings that were on the way (I am sorry but there are only so many Crucification paintings I can handle in a lifetime, especially when the Stradivarius stuff was so close!) 

The museum had a bunch of really cool instruments made by other makers. One of my favorites was the "Viola d'amore" I believe it had 8 strings. I wonder what it sounds like. Others were beautifully decorated. Probably the coolest thing to see though was all of these tools, stencils and pieces of wood preserved from Stradivarius' workshop. Although many have tried to mimic what Stradivarius did, no violin will ever be like his again. It was cool to see the actual things that he personally worked with. I also discovered that my violin was actually modeled at least physically off of a Stradivarius. I didn't know if I should find this exciting or disappointing, but it was odd feeling like I was looking at my own Violin in a display case.

After a stop for some souvenirs and chocolate we headed back to Verona. The rest of the weekend ended up being a lazy one, as the Olive Fair we were supposed to go to was canceled. Tomorrow we don't have class so I'll be making my way to Venice to see the Jewish Ghetto which my parents were raving about.

last minute add on..almost forget why I love Cremona so much: I was walking by a used bookstore and what is in the window but an Italian version of the Tea Rose!! is that fate or what?