[Apr. 2025] We went on a short trip around Northern Italy with a married couple of our friends from London, and stayed in Cremona that day.
We have been to Cremona several times, but this was our first time staying over night there.
We chose the Hotel Impero for its location.
The room was small and old, but the location was excellent, very close to the cathedral.
The reception was also nice.
After a short rest, we walked around the area.
The cathedral was magnificent at night.
The next morning, our first goal was to go inside the cathedral.
Cremona is world-famous as a place for making violins, but the town itself was also historically important.
It was an independent city-state in the 11th to 13th centuries.
The cathedral was also completed during the city-state period around 1190 .
The exterior has a large rose window surrounded by thin columns, and the ground floor is a portico.
It is unique among the many Italian cathedrals, so it is memorable.
And when you go inside, it is dimly lit, but gorgeously luxurious.
There are rows of heavy black columns, and at the top of them are beautiful frescoes.
They were mainly painted by 16th century painters, depicting scenes from the Bible.
The main altar is, of course, gorgeous.
The wealth of this town is thriving.
The crypt was also beautiful.
I looked up the person enshrined here, and it turns out that he is the patron saint of this town, St. Omobono.
He seems to be a fairly practical saint who worked hard at commerce and helped the poor with the money he earned.
Cremona is located along the Po River and was a key transportation hub, so commerce developed there.
At the cathedral, I felt like I had discovered something important other than violins in Cremona.
My husband was also excited and said, “I’ve come to appreciate Cremona in a new light.”
By the way, next to the cathedral is the Torrazzo, the bell tower that I climbed when I first visited Cremona about 15 years ago.
I wondered if I had written about that time, but it seems that was before I started blogging.
What I remember more than the beautiful view is that it was very difficult to climb up.
