User:Joshua Gramley/sandbox

Seignory (Excerpt)
[...] In 1441 the city hosted the marriage of Francesco I Sforza and Bianca Maria Visconti in the temple built by the Benedictines, which today is the church of Saint Sigismund. For that occasion a new sweet was devised, in the form of a nougat-based replica of Cremona's brick bell tower, which was then known as the Torrione; the tower is now called the Torazzo, while the confection has evolved into the famous Torrone.

Music
Cremona's distinguished musical history has played a noteworthy role in Europe's cultural development.

During the late Middle Ages, as elsewhere in Europe, Cremona's cathedral was the focus of organized musical activity in the region. Over the course of the 14th and 15th centuries, however, musical performance transitioned into the realm of the secular, as European monarchs, newly wealthy from growing trade, invested in the cultivation and sponsorship of court musicians. Violinists from Cremona were among those who established themselves in this new context, performing in the royal courts of London and Paris; in the process, they established a reputation not just for the virtuosity of the city's players, but also, the fine craft of Cremonese instruments. This reputation set the stage for Cremona's participation in an active cultural exchange operating well beyond its region.

From the 16th through the 18th centuries, Cremona developed into a significant center of musical instrument manufacture. Its Amati family workshop, which supplied custom-made instruments to Catherine De Medici's court in France, also trained the patriarchs of the Guarneri, Ruggieri, and Stradivari family violin-making dynasties. Within this environment, a vibrant community of practice emerged, based in master-apprentice relationships, which situated Cremona within broader European cultural networks of musicians, composers, and royal patrons. To the present day, the instruments produced during this era are widely considered to be the summit of achievement in stringed instrument making. Stradivari violins are world-renowned, and have become highly valued by musicians for their tone.

Cremona's music industry remains active today. The city is home to internationally-renowned violin-making schools, and hosts a community of students and accomplished artisans devoted to the city's traditional craft; each year, Cremona's 150 shops produce thousands of fine instruments. In 2012 the "Traditional violin craftsmanship in Cremona" was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. Cultural destinations such as the Triennale Violin Making Competition (popularly referred to as the "Olympics of Violin Making"), the Museo del Violino (featuring its "Treasure Box," a gallery of antique Stradivari, Guarneri and Amati violins), and a broad range of performances and demonstrations commemorate the city's musical heritage.