Sono andato al Museo del Violino a Cremona senza sapere praticamente niente di violini, pensavo…read morefosse una cosa per esperti. Invece mi ha sorpreso tantissimo: è moderno, con schermi touch e audio che ti spiegano tutto in modo semplice, e vedere da vicino gli Stradivari originali è davvero impressionante, sembrano opere d'arte perfette. L'auditorium è bellissimo e ho avuto la fortuna di sentire un violino storico suonato dal vivo: un suono incredibile! Consigliatissimo anche a chi come me non è un musicista, vale ogni euro del biglietto.

We visited this museum in 2015 and have wanted to come back ever since. It really is a great,…read moremodern museum which has excellent displays of violins, violas, and other string instruments. The museum is absolutely stunning! It takes you through Cremona's five-century history of violin making by introducing you to the great masters and their violins, violas and cellos. Step-by-step, the museum describes everything that rotates around the life of the violin. You begin with how it all started; then, moves on to the luthier's workshop, where you can smell the scent of resin and wood. There is an onion shaped room for listening (which was closed on this visit). In the next room, the virtual books speak of Cremona's school of classical music and on a map of Cremona from the Stradivari era you can see the distribution of the shops. Perhaps the best part of the museum is their "Treasure Room," a room entered through heavy tapestry with lighting focused to highlight the superb violins on display. There were several made by Antonio Stradivari and by "del Gesù," among others. Both men lived in Cremona in the early part of the 1700's and knew each other. Bartolomeo Giuseppe Antonio Guarneri ("del Gesù") was an Italian luthier (violin maker) from the Guarneri family of Cremona. He rivals Antonio Stradivari 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. (Think $2-4 million for a Stradivari and $8-10 million for a "del Gesù."). At the end of your visit, you get to see the Permanent Collection of Contemporary Violin Making. The collection also explores how the modern world has joined the world of the violin with the promotion of the friends of Stradivari network. The last room is dedicated to the violin's role in films. This museum should not be missed. It is truly a treasure. The museum is closed on Mondays.

3.5 rounded up to 4…read more I booked the early morning factory tour for 9:30 AM. I was the only person on the tour so it was essentially a private tour of the factory, sounds good right? Well no cameras or phones allowed on the tour, but OK. The problem when I went the main factory was closed due to a new production model of Lamborghini being set up so I got to see the SUV factory. It was interesting to see the entire vehicle stations from frame to finish, I think about 20 stations total. All the custom colors, configurations like left or right drive, custom interiors, and wheels/rims. An interesting tour, just would have been better if it was one of the sports model of Lamborghini. On to the museum. The first floor was older more historic models. The second floor was newer models. I had been to the 2 Ferrari museums the day before and liked how they were set up with the model name and info on an easy to read place card. It wasn't until I finished touring the first floor and was about halfway through the send floor that I finally realized that the info on each model was on the stanchions, and not all of them exactly near the car. Not very obvious and the grey lettering on white background doesn't really standout. Overall an interesting museum, especially if you are a car fan. But if you only have time to tour the Lamborghini museum or one of the Ferrari museums I would recommend a Ferrari museum.

After visiting the Modena Italian Luxury car museum, we couldn't leave without stopping here given…read morethey were so close. About a 1/2 hour Taxi ride from Modena. We inquired about the factory tour but unfortunately they were fully booked so advance booking is recommended. About 20 cars in the collection and looks like it rotates. We arrived soon after they opened on a Tuesday (9:30) and not a lot of traffic but started to pick up when we finished around 11:15. Would recommend planning for 1.5 hours. A Simulator is available and the shop, next door, had a good selection of merchandise. I was impressed with the collection and really enjoyed the first floor which showcased the early years. I only remember the Countach and after models. 65 350 GT is the one! Staff was friendly and helpful with our questions. They had lockers for luggage which was perfect. Well worth the detour from Modena!

If your a Ferrari fan this place is an absolute must because you learn the history of Ferrari and…read morethe evolution of their cars which was very detailed and had a nice flow how they guide you through the galleries of cars. My favorite spot of course in the winners hall where they have all the trophies and cars around in the display it's very iconic and cool. They do have a gift shop but the Ferrari store in Milan I felt was better than their gift shop. And sim racing if you want to try it! It's also a short walk to the iconic Ferrari factory entrance where they post the flags if they win a race. I very much recommend them!

We were in Venice, Italy and decided to take the tour of the Ferrari Museum in Maranello. Being a…read morerace and car fan this was a great choice. The city of Maranello is about a 1 1/2 hour drive from Venice and thank goodness we had a driver as it was a complex series of off-ramps and roundabouts. The city of Maranello is essentially Ferrariland. The factory is huge and includes a racetrack, training center and corporate offices. The museum is adjacent to all of the buildings and is set up very nicely with of course a large Ferrari gift shop at the end of the tour, which was doing a great business. Also next door is a Ferrari Cafe for light snacks. The tour guides are young Italian ladies who who are in Ferrari garb and are impressive with their knowledge of the Ferrari history and each car on display. Kudos to Maria who was our guide. The tour starts with some of the more recent classics F40/f50, GTO... then the Super Cars-The Enzo, La Ferrari, etc, and some prototypes followed by the amazing tribute area to the F1 program. Very impressive staging and variety of the Ferrari cars. I've posted a some photos but they only scratch the surface of what's on display. Enjoy. PS, this could be an expensive trip as the pearl yellow F8 Tributo Spider is my choice.

"Aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines" - Enzo Ferrari…read more Who can argue. The masterpieces found inside his museum in Modena is stunning. There's a video history presentation that plays on loop and to say it is impactful and beautiful is an understatement. For those who don't know, there are two Ferrari museums, One in Modena that focuses on Enzo and the other is in Maranello, Italy, and is the home of the Ferrari factory and the Scuderia Ferrari racing team Both museums deserve a visit but I found Museo Enzo Ferrari to be better. The layout and car choices makes it very user friendly. The other Museum snakes through rooms and can be hard to get up close to some of the Ferraris. As one can see from my pictures, there is a lot of space around each of the Ferraris on display I highly recommend visiting the Enzo Ferrari museum even if you are a casual fan and even more if you are a Ferrari enthusiast

What a beautiful selection of Ferraris we had a wonderful time learning about Enzo and his…read moreautomobile company

Pinterest, you got me…read more After seeing a pretty shot of this library in a Parma top sites to see article on Pinterest, I added it to our hit list. Here's why you should consider visiting Biblioteca Paladins when you're in Parma: 1.) it's free 2.) the ceiling is beautiful both in the main room and adjacent rooms 3.) you're most likely going to pass it anyway as you enter the town on foot from the train station - note that it's somewhat tricky to spot in the sense that it's buried within a building of other museums, etc. at the entrance to Old town 4.) the collection of old books, artifacts and busts on display is impressive 5.) let's face it, you need more cultural activities to add to your hit list with all the face stuffing that goes on in Parma

The history in Verona is incredible. This castle and its grounds are well worth the journey. I did…read morenot notice this specifically highlighted in travel books but I am glad we walked from our hotel to check it out. Everything in Verona seems so close and easily accessible to each other!

We did not have time to tour the museum portion of the Castelvecchio but we did have the…read moreopportunity to walk the exterior and admire this amazing structure. The museum displays a collection of sculpture, statues, paintings, ancient weapons, ceramics, goldworks, miniatures and some old bells. "Castelvecchio" translates to "Old Castle" and it is indeed quite old. It is built on the location of the Roman fortress, built between 1354 and 1376 and includes a bridge across the Adige River. The castle was damaged by French troops during the Napoleonic Wars and once captured, Napoleon stayed here on his trips to Verona. The exterior moat is currently dry but was once filled by water fed by the river. The castle is not massive compared to others but does have seven towers and four buildings inside. The bridge was destroyed by the retreating German army in 1945 and rebuilt in 1949. [Review 16970 overall - 175 in Italy - 486 of 2022.]