Museo del Violino, String instrument museum in Cremona, Italy
The Museo del Violino occupies the Palazzo dell'Arte, a two-storey brick building with a covered portico of pale stone columns and a white balustrade above. Its ten rooms hold violins, violas, cellos and double basses by Stradivari, the Amati and Guarneri, plus over 700 Stradivarian tools and models donated by Giuseppe Fiorini in 1930.
Cremona became a centre for string instrument making in the 16th century, when Andrea Amati shaped the form of the modern violin and started a long line of craft tradition in the city. Generations of makers followed, refining techniques that are still the foundation of violin making today.
The names of the makers on display, Amati, Stradivari, Guarneri, are still used today to describe the finest stringed instruments in the world. Walking through the rooms, visitors can see how each maker had a personal style that is still visible in the shape and finish of each instrument.
The museum is in the centre of Cremona, close to the cathedral, and easy to reach on foot from most of the old town. Allow a few hours to move through the rooms at a comfortable pace.
The museum has a concert hall where historic instruments from the collection are regularly played in live performances, so visitors can hear how they actually sound. This sets it apart from most instrument museums, where the pieces stay silent behind glass.
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