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Published: September 1st 2017
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My first ACLE camp of the year was two weeks in Cremona. I’d never heard of it, but when I researched it, what came up is that it’s about an hour and a half southeast of Milan and that it’s most famous for violin making. In fact, it was Stradivari(us)’s hometown. While there, I learned artisans and some tourists still flock there to see violin production in action, and others move there from around the world to learn the trade.
I, however, didn’t do a lot of sightseeing in town. It was just really really really hot. Working at a camp 8 hours a day without air-conditioning and then walking half an hour to and from camp in the heat took its toll on me. Don’t underestimate Italian summers and expect that you’re going to be able to be a serious tourist when it’s 90+ degrees.
I did learn that Cremona is famous to Italians not for violins, but for the three T’s (both in English and Italian): towers, torrone (nougat-style candy), and breasts (well, a less formal synonym that starts with t). Sure, there do seem to be plenty of towers there. It’s pretty
flat--almost suffocatingly flat--so with towers, I’m sure you could get some great views. I didn’t get a chance to try the torrone, but there seem to be a lot of varieties. As for the boobs, I didn’t really notice a difference there compared to anywhere else.
Cremona is kind of average for an Italian city. Nice, but not a place you’re going to be able to spend a long time being a tourist. Lots of the center is well-preserved, with colorful buildings and winding alleys. The main plaza is stunning, and a great area to sit out on a restaurant/café terrace for apertivo, coffee, or a meal.
It’s really small, which makes it walkable and bike-friendly. Most of the center has been restricted to bikes and pedestrians, and because it’s so flat and small, biking is incredibly popular. I tried it out one day, and it’s certainly not for me, based on my bike clumsiness and therefore, anxiety on streets with cars and without a helmet. It’s also such a small place that we’d often run into people my host parents knew.
Another neat thing about Cremona (even more than in
the rest of Italy) is the lack of chain stores. Lots of businesses still seem to be small and locally owned. There’s a town market in the main square every Wednesday and Saturday morning.
Although I didn’t do a lot of touristy things there, I did have the chance to hang out with my host family in lots of new situations. The very first day I arrived was my host sister’s birthday party in a park. This stretched into the evening for basically a VIP dinner there as well. That ended with two desserts and limoncello. Before the camp was over, I’d attend three more birthday parties, a pool afternoon with grandparents next to Lake Garda, an evening at a local carnival (Luna Park), and a swimming afternoon at the swimming club.
Cremona is unique from nearby towns in that most people belong to one of the many swimming associations along the Po River. It’s, from my understanding, kind of a country club culture, in that people are long-term members (for life) and spend a lot of time there socializing.
I had one free day to go and visit a nearby
place. I basically decided between Milan, Bergamo, and Parma/Modena. In the end, I chose Bergamo because it seemed closer to the mountains and, I hoped, slightly cooler. I did visit Milan later anyway, but Parma and Modena are still on my list.
Bergamo was . . . alright. Someone had told me they loved it last year, so I had high expectations. I also have a friend from nearby, and we just missed having the chance for him to give me a tour himself. It was nice, but unfortunately was almost as hot as just staying in Cremona. And, it was more in the foothills of the mountains, not mountain-mountain.
Old Bergamo aka Città Alta (Upper City) is, unsurprisingly, up on a hill. Modern Bergamo (Città Bassa/Lower City) fills in the plain below (it’s also where the train drops you off). I walked up into the Upper City, but you can also take a bus or the incline (funicolare). It was a hot day, but the walk wasn’t bad because it was shady and mostly scenic (I went up the path from stairs to the left of the incline entrance).
I
enjoyed strolling the streets of the upper city, along with all the other tourists. The city was less colorful and more regal than Cremona. It’s a walled city, which makes it feel a bit mythical. There were views of small mountains from near the Caffè Cittadella all the way up to Lorenzo Rota Botanical Garden. The garden was pretty peaceful compared to the rest of the city.
Apart from the garden and wandering around, there wasn’t much of a touristy nature that I was interested in doing. I got kind of bored. I considered taking a different incline over to San Vigilio, but that would have cut it close with time.
To take a break from the sun, I got some food (and a beer, of course) at the Osteria della Birra. The locally-made beer was good, the food and service—not so much. After that, I explored more of the old city before heading back down through the modern city to the train station.
I would have liked Bergamo more on a cooler day, and I wish I’d made more of an effort to see the modern part too. I would
aim to visit in the fall, when temperatures are lower and tourists are fewer. If you have the time, visiting one of the nearby lakes (Como, Garda, Iseo . . . ) would also be a great choice, especially in the summer.
Generally, Cremona and Bergamo were interesting experiences, but I was relieved to get my next camp assignment in Domodossola--much closer to mountains!
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