Cremona in the context of Po Valley

Mantua (/ˈmæntjuə/ MAN-tew-ə; Italian: Mantova [ˈmantova] ; Lombard and Latin: Mantua) is a comune (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the eponymous province.

In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2017, it was named as the "European Capital of Gastronomy", included in the Eastern Lombardy District (together with the cities of Bergamo, Brescia, and Cremona).

Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string player. A composer of both secular and sacred music, and a pioneer in the development of opera, he is considered a crucial transitional figure between the Renaissance and Baroque periods of music history.

Born in Cremona, where he undertook his first musical studies and compositions, Monteverdi developed his career first at the court of Mantua (c. 1590–1613) and then until his death in the Republic of Venice where he was maestro di cappella at the basilica of San Marco. His surviving letters give insight into the life of a professional musician in Italy of the period, including problems of income, patronage and politics.

Eastern Lombard is a group of closely related variants of Lombard, a Gallo-Italic language spoken in Lombardy, mainly in the provinces of Bergamo, Brescia and Mantua, in the area around Cremona and in parts of Trentino. Its main variants are Bergamasque and Brescian.

In Italian-speaking contexts, Eastern Lombard is often called as dialetti (lit. 'dialects'), understood to mean not a variety of Italian, but a local language that is part of the Romance languages dialect continuum that pre-dates the establishment of Tuscan-based Italian.

The practice of conserving an unstable painting on panel by transferring it from its original decayed, worm-eaten, cracked, or distorted wood support to canvas or a new panel has been practised since the 18th century. It has now been largely superseded by improved methods of wood conservation.

The practice evolved in Naples and Cremona in 1711–1725 and reached France by the middle of the 18th century. It was especially widely practiced in the second half of the 19th century. Similar techniques are used to transfer frescos. Oil paintings on canvas often receive additional support or are transferred to a new backing.

Treviglio (Italian: [treˈviʎʎo] ; Bergamasque: Treì) is an Italian comune with a population of 31,479 inhabitants in the Province of Bergamo, Lombardy. As the second most populous comune in the province, it is situated in the heart of the Po Valley, approximately 22 km (14 mi) south of the provincial capital, Bergamo.

Founded during the Early Middle Ages through the unification of three settlements for defensive purposes, Treviglio serves as the main hub of the Gera d'Adda region. Its strategic location is underscored by its position at the crossroads of roads and railways connecting it to Bergamo, Brescia, Cremona, Lodi, and Milan.

The Battle of Bedriacum refers to two battles fought during the Year of the Four Emperors (AD 69) near the village of Bedriacum (now Calvatone), about 35 kilometers (22 mi) from the town of Cremona in northern Italy. The fighting in fact took place between Bedriacum and Cremona, and the battles are sometimes called "First Cremona" and "Second Cremona".

The Adda (Latin: Abdua, or Addua; Lombard: Ada, or Adda) is a river in North Italy, a tributary of the Po. It rises in the Alps near the border with Switzerland and flows through Lake Como. The Adda joins the Po near Castelnuovo Bocca d'Adda, a few kilometers upstream of Cremona. The river's length is 313 kilometres (194 mi). The highest point of the drainage basin is the summit of La Spedla (a subpeak of Piz Bernina), at 4,020 metres (13,190 ft).

Towns along the river include Bormio, Tirano, Sondrio, Bellagio and Lecco (both on Lake Como), Brivio and Lodi. The Poschiavino, a tributary, originates in Switzerland and flows through the town of Poschiavo.

The province of Cremona (Italian: provincia di Cremona; Cremunés: pruvìncia de Cremùna; Cremish: pruìnsa de Cremùna; Casalasco-Viadanese: pruvìncia ad Cramòna) is a province in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its capital city is Cremona.

The province occupies the central section of Padana Plain, so the whole territory is flat, without any mountains or hills, crossed by several rivers, such as the Serio and Adda, and artificial canals, most of which are used for irrigation.

Crema (Italian: [ˈkrɛːma]; Cremish Lombard: Crèma) is a city and comune (municipality) in the province of Cremona, in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is built along the river Serio at 43 km (27 mi) from Cremona. It is also the seat of the Catholic Bishop of Crema, who gave the title of city to Crema.

Crema's main economic activities traditionally (since the 11th century) related to agriculture, cattle breeding and making wool, but its manufactures in later centuries include cheese, iron products and cotton and wool textiles.

The Panegyricus Serenissimo Principi Leonardo Lauredano, anglicised as Panegyric to the Most Serene Prince Leonardo Loredan is an early 16th-century manuscript written in Latin in honour of Leonardo Loredan, who reigned as the 75th Doge of Venice from 1501 until his death in 1521.

The manuscript is a ceremonial facsimile of a panegyric pronounced by Sigismundus Burgus, a knight and lawyer from the city of Cremona. Dated 21 April 1503, the Latin script is elaborately illuminated with a Roman-style inscription of gold letters on a blue background. The placement of the Lion of Saint Mark, a symbol of the Republic of Venice, in the upper margin above the inscription, confirms that the manuscript is an official document. It was acquired in 1931 by the bequest of Henry Walters, and is currently located in the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.

Amati (/əˈmɑːti/, Italian: [aˈmaːti]) is the surname of a family of Italian violin makers who lived at Cremona from about 1538 to 1740. Their importance is considered equal to those of the Bergonzi, Guarneri, and Stradivari families. Today, violins created by Nicolò Amati are valued at around $600,000. Because of their age and rarity, Amati instruments are mostly kept in museums or private collections and are seldom played in public.

Busseto (Bussetano: Büsé; Parmigiano: Busèjj) is a comune in the province of Parma, in Emilia-Romagna in Northern Italy with about 6,763 inhabitants. Its history is quite well documented back to the 10th century, and for almost five hundred years it was the capital of Stato Pallavicino, which eventually became part of the Duchy of Parma. The town is about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) south of Cremona in Lombardy.

Cremonese (Cremunés) is a dialect of the Western Lombard dialect group spoken in the city and province of Cremona in Lombardy, Italy, with the exception of Crema and the area of Soresina, where an Eastern Lombard dialect is spoken, and the area of Casalmaggiore, where a form of Emilian closely related to Parmigiano is spoken.

Being at the crossroad between the core areas of different Lombard varieties, Cremonese exhibits features from both Western Lombard and Eastern Lombard, and a few which are typical of dialects spoken in the nearby region of Emilia-Romagna. It is best classified within the Southwestern Lombard group of dialects.

Bartolomeo Giuseppe "del Gesù" Guarneri (/ɡwɑːrˈnɛəri/, UK also /-ˈnɪər-/, Italian: [dʒuˈzɛppe ɡwarˈnɛːri]; 21 August 1698 – 17 October 1744) was an Italian luthier from the Guarneri family of Cremona. He rivals Antonio Stradivari (1644–1737) with regard to the respect and reverence accorded his instruments, and for many prominent players and collectors his instruments are the most coveted of all. Instruments made by Guarneri are often referred to as Del Gesùs.

Guarneri is known as del Gesù (literally "of Jesus") because his labels after 1731 incorporated the nomen sacrum, IHS (iota-eta-sigma) and a cross fleury. His instruments diverged significantly from family tradition, becoming uniquely his own style. They are considered equal in quality to those of Stradivari, and claimed by some to be superior. Guarneri's violins often have a darker, more robust, and more sonorous tone than Stradivari's. Fewer than 200 of Guarneri's instruments survive. They are all violins, although one cello bearing his father's label, dated 1731, seems to have been completed by del Gesù. The quality and scarcity of his instruments have resulted in sale prices in excess of $10 million USD.

Francesco Rugeri (c. 1628 – 28 October 1698) was an Italian master luthier from Cremona, Italy. The first of the important lutheir family Casa Rugeri, his violins were inspired by Nicolò Amati's "Grand Amati" pattern. Rugeri was the first to develop a smaller cello design, which has since become standard. Today, Rugeri's instruments are nearly as renowned as Amati's.

The Rugeri family is not to be confused with the Rogeri family of Brescia who were also noted luthiers following the tradition of Amati.

Vincenzo Rugeri (30 September 1663 – 4 May 1719) (also known as Ruger, Rugier, Rugieri, Ruggeri, Ruggieri, Ruggerius), was an Italian luthier of string instruments such as violins, cellos, and, violas in Cremona, Italy. His instruments are noted for their craftsmanship and tone quality. Vincenzo came from a distinguished family of luthiers, the first of whom was his father, Francesco Rugeri. Despite the local tradition of artisan families laboring together through generations, Vincenzo left the family shop and set up a successful shop of his own in the center of Cremona. Vincenzo was the third son of luthier Francesco Rugeri. Vincenzo's work, like Francesco's, is influenced by Nicolò Amati's Grand Pattern model, however Vincenzo's work was distinguished from his father's by utilizing a lower arch inspired by Antonio Stradivari. An analysis of the body of his work reveals that the quality of Vincenzo's instruments is remarkable, perhaps even more so than his father's. Vincenzo's instruments, though less numerous, are valued at least equal to those of his father. A violin by Vincenzo Rugeri realized $502,320 on October 3, 2011 at Brompton's Auctions in London. Carlo Bergonzi was a distinguished apprentice of Vincenzo Rugeri.