The current building was built in 1747 when a group of nobles decided to provide the city with a public theater to replace the previous aristocratic theaters. Destroyed by a fire in 1806, Ponchielli Theater was rebuilt by the most famous theatrical architect of that time. The new Ponchielli theater has a horseshoe design, four tiers of boxes and a gallery. The stage is one of the largest in Italy.
Official Website: http://www.teatroponchielli.it/
The Violin Museum was opened in September 2013. Visitors can explore the history of the violin and learn about how they are made, they can read all about the lives of the most well known Cremonese families of luthiers, and they can enjoy the masterpieces exhibited in the museum, masterpieces collected from all over the world.
The showpiece of the museum is the Auditorium "Giovanni Arvedi". It is a jewel of acoustic engineering that combines the latest technology with ancient knowledge, and incorporates Cremona’s tradition for violin making. The auditorium has a dual soul: acoustics and architecture blend through the image of the sound wave that propagates in space. The small, round stage has been placed in the center of the auditorium and it provides a clear view and excellent acoustics to each and every one of the 500 spectators.
Official Website: www.museodelviolino.org
Located inside the medieval deconsecrated church of San Lorenzo, this museum traces the history of Cremona from its Roman foundation in 218 BC, through the heyday of the Roman Empire, to the archeological remains discovered in the city and the surrounding area from the nineteenth century, right up until the most recent excavations.
Official website http://musei.comune.cremona.it/PostCE-display-ceid-24.phtml
This Amateur Dramatics Theater was one of the first theaters set up in the city, its construction sponsored in 1670 by the family of the Marquis Ariberti. The theater was intended for private use. Nowadays it is used both as a theater and a cinema.
Official Website: www.cinemafilo.com
The Art Gallery is housed in the sixteenth century Palazzo Affaitati and mainly preserves the art collection of the Marquis Giuseppe Sigismondo Ala Ponzone, donated to the city in 1842. The collection was later expanded with works from some of Cremona's disused churches, as well as with those from private donators. The collection now boasts more than two thousand pieces, including the noteworthy “Saint Francis in Meditation” by Caravaggio and “L’Ortolano” by Arcimboldo; the latter inspired the creation of the "Foody" mascot of Expo Milano 2015.
The Carlo Alberto Carutti Collection of stringed instruments contains sixty instruments recognized for their superior quality, their rarity or their superb state of conservation.
Official website: musei.comune.cremona.it/PostCE-display-ceid-18.phtml
The original collection of this museum was formed from the legacy “Ala Ponzone”; the pieces are particularly interesting because Giuseppe Sigismondo Ala Ponzone (1761-1842), as well as being a collector, was also a naturalist and a trainer. The museum collection was later expanded with small collections donated mostly by local naturalists.
Official Website http://musei.comune.cremona.it/PostCE-display-ceid-22.phtml
The farmstead "Cambonino Vecchio" at the gates of the city hosts an ethnographic collection. From the large courtyard you can access the manor house, the farm house, the service building, the stables and the laundry rooms.
Official Website http://musei.comune.cremona.it/PostCE-display-ceid-23.phtml
