Tourist itineraries through master luthiers’ workshops, training to improve visitor reception, exhibitions in Amsterdam and Shanghai, international promotion, and a week of events featuring concerts, masterclasses, Open Workshops and activities for schools and conservatories. This is the “Cremona, World Capital of Violin Making” project, approved by the Lombardy Region with €90,000 in funding for 2026 and launched as part of the implementation of the regional law on the promotion and enhancement of Cremonese violin making, strongly championed by Regional Councillor for Brothers of Italy and President of the Productive Activities Committee Marcello Ventura.

Three initiatives will be implemented by the end of the year, starting from violin making as the main identifying feature of the Cremona destination and the driving force behind an ecosystem that brings together tourism, culture, music, education and economic development: “Cremona Liuteria Experience,” “Cremona Around the World” and “Cremona Violin Week.”

“The regional law is now finding its first concrete application. When we worked on the measure, our goal was to create an instrument capable of recognizing the role that violin making already plays in Cremona’s identity and transforming it into a structural driver for tourism, culture, education and economic development. This project shows that this vision can be translated into precise and measurable actions,” Ventura said.

The first initiative, “Cremona Liuteria Experience,” aims to progressively establish a widespread visitor reception system. Workshops already willing to welcome visitors, as well as those interested in embarking on this path, will be mapped. They will have the opportunity to access vouchers for professional support in storytelling, visitor reception, tour management, languages and safety. Participating workshops will then be able to join bookable, multilingual itineraries, also promoted through regional, national and international tourism channels.

“The Region is not simply promoting what Cremona already offers, but is supporting the workshops in developing a new approach to welcoming visitors. This means putting visitors in direct contact with the work of master luthiers, explaining their techniques and expertise, and creating an organized offering that can become a genuine tourism experience,”Ventura continued.

The second strand is “Cremona Around the World,” which in 2026 will bring Cremona Liuteria-branded instruments to the Cello Biennale in Amsterdam and to an exhibition in Shanghai. The program will include exhibitions, demonstrations by master luthiers, meetings with musicians and industry professionals, as well as tourism promotion activities for Cremona and Lombardy. A video dedicated to the making of a Cremonese cello will also be produced, intended to become a permanent tool for international promotion.

The year 2026 will conclude with “Cremona Violin Week,” from December 13 to 18, running from World Cremonese Violin Day to the Antonio Stradivari Memorial Day. The entire city will be involved in a coordinated program featuring the Violin Making Festival, Open Workshops, concerts, masterclasses, exhibitions, meetings with master luthiers, workshops and activities for schools, music institutes and conservatories. Digital recordings of musical performances are also planned, conceived as “sound postcards” from Cremona to be shared around the world. Workshop visits may also be enhanced by musical performances, theatrical storytelling and tastings of local specialties, in collaboration with local food and wine operators.

“Violin Week can become an event capable of showcasing Cremona through all of its areas of excellence. Violin making, music, education, culture and food and wine can come together within a single program and help attract visitors to the city even during periods of lower tourist numbers. This is a perspective consistent with the regional law and with the idea of making violin making a stable driving force for Cremona’s tourism and economic development,” Ventura concluded.

The Regional Executive Resolution XII/6714 of September 7, 2026 identifies the Cremona-Mantua-Pavia Chamber of Commerce as the implementing body and involves Unioncamere Lombardia, the Municipality of Cremona, the Walter Stauffer Foundation and the “Antonio Stradivari” Consortium of Violin Makers. All activities must be completed by December 31, 2026.

The project will be implemented with the involvement of the Municipality of Cremona, the Walter Stauffer Foundation and the “Antonio Stradivari” Consortium of Violin Makers, which will oversee specialist activities, the operational coordination of master luthiers, exhibitions, the transportation of Cremona Liuteria-branded instruments and logistical support for the initiatives. The €90,000 allocated by the Lombardy Region may be supplemented by additional resources provided by the other partners involved.