Tom`s travels: Cremona & Crema (29/06/2018)

After graduating in Krakow and having come back to Italy, I decided to join my aunt once again and go with her to Cremona, since it is where she had to work there that day. I had already visited the city of Cremona three years prior, but I had missed some things to see and was then planning to follow my aunt to the next town she was heading to. So after being dropped off in the city center, I directed myself, thanks to the ever-present bell tower jutting out among the rooftops wherever you were, to the city´s main square. I gave a quick look at the impressive Cathedral, which having previously visited, nonetheless amazed me each time I saw it. From there I walked a little bit before reaching the Archaeological Museum. Since 2009 it is hosted in the Church of San Lorenzo, dating to the 12th century and in the Romanesque style, it now holds the collection of mostly roman antiquities with a few pieces from the middle ages. I particularly enjoyed it and the Roman mosaics inside were worth a visit, as well as the Cappella Meli, a 15th-century chapel annexed to the church. After the visit, it was time to have lunch so I met up with my aunt and we went to eat at a place called Hosteria 700 where I had some really tasty ravioli with pumpkin, though there were just a few and I was filled yet so I shared an appetizer of cold cuts and cheese with my aunt. After lunch, we got in the car and headed to the next town: Crema. Similarly named, this town is the province of Cremona but actually half between it and Milan. So after getting off the car, I headed towards the main square first, passing by the Cathedral which was still closed for lunch break. Right in front of the church´s facade stands the impressive Arco del Torrazzo, built in the Renaissance style during the 16th century. On the side of the square is a fresco on its central part, while on the opposite side is a statue of the Lion of St Mark, symbolizing that once Venice used to dominate the town. The arch divides the Palazzo Comunale in half, which dates from the same period and holds the coat of arms of mVenetiantian patrician families which ruled the city from there. Now it still serves the function of administrative office but by the local city council. Right next to it, on the northern side of the square, is the Palazzo Pretorio which used to be the residence of the Venetian Podestà, who ruled over the city. At its center stands a 13th-century tower with the lion of St Mark. From there I walked along the streets of the city center passing by the nice Baroque Palazzo Bondenti Terni de Gregory, set in a small picturesque square. Then I decided to head out of the old town and reached in about twenty minutes of walking the Santuario di Santa Maria Della Croce. It was built in the 15th century, in the typical Lombard Renaissance style, in the location of a supposed miracle. The story goes, that a certain Caterina Degli Uberti, part of a noble family from Crema, had to marry a bandit from the area of Bergamo named Contaglio, who wished her just for her dowry. In fact, just a year after the marriage, as they were leaving the city, the man attacked his wife with a sword, amputating her hand and leaving her to die on the ground. Before dying, Caterina invoked the Madonna to allow her to get the sacraments before dying. Miraculously the bleeding stopped and she was helped by passersby to a nearby house. It was late so they had to wait for the next day to be then brought to Crema where she was first visited by a medic and then blessed by a priest on her request. After the blessing was over, the bleeding started once again and the lady died shortly after. Because of this story, the church was built on the site of the apparition and subsequent miracles were said to take place. So after reaching the complex I entered through the main door and found myself in a large circular room, with a painted ceiling and nice renaissance and baroque altars and decorations. I then headed back towards the city center and entered the Cathedral, which had finally reopened. Built between the 13th and 14th centuries, it features a mostly Gothic structure, with the exterior made in the typical red Lombard Gothic and the interior featuring some Romanesque parts. The interior was quite dark, and despite the 18th-century restructuring highly damaged the interior, there were still some medieval frescoes to see. The bell tower, which just from the southeastern part of the church is very similar to that of Cremona, both in aspect and style, but much smaller in size. Walking through the Arco del Torrazzo I then reached and entered the Church of the Santissima Trinita, a classic example of sumptuous Baroque and dating from the 18th century. Nearby I then gave a quick look at the Santuario di Santa Maria Delle Grazie, built at the beginning of the 17th century in the Mannerist style, and with frescoes dating to the latter part of that same century in a more baroque form. After the church, I continued my walk and passed by the Baroque Palazzo Premoli, and passed the pretty square Piazza Trento e Trieste where the Teatro San Domenico is located, inside the former Church of San Domenico. I then reached the main square, Piazza Duomo, again where I then called my aunt to meet up and head back to Vicenza.