Crema, Lombardy

Coordinates: 45°22′N 9°41′E / 45.367°N 9.683°E / 45.367; 9.683
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Crema
Crèma (Lombard)
Città di Crema
Town Hall in Piazza Duomo
Town Hall in Piazza Duomo
Coat of arms of Crema
Location of Crema
Map
UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
26013
Dialing code0373
Patron saintSaint Pantaleo
Saint day10 June
WebsiteOfficial website

Crema (Italian:

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.

History

Crema's origins have been linked to the

Celtic or Etruscan
settlement.

Crema Cathedral

Crema first appears in historical documents in the 11th century as a possession of the counts of Camisano. It was then ruled by

Bishop of Cremona
. During this period the prosperity of Crema's territory began as agriculture was boosted and the Humiliates' Order introduced the processing of wool, which was to be the area's main economic activity until the 19th century.

In 1159, after it had signed an alliance with

Ghibelline Cremona, Crema was besieged, stormed and destroyed by the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa
. The siege of Crema was marked by several episodes of brutality. The Germans hung some Cremaschi prisoners to their siege machines hoping the defenders would not fire against their fellows. However, this expedient did not work, and turned the battle into a slaughter.

After the Peace of Constance (1183) the city was allowed to be rebuilt as a castrum ("castle"). Henry VI gave it back to his allied Cremonese. A period as a free Commune followed, during which, however, the tendency to partisan struggles, typical of the northern Italian communes of that age, soon showed. In any case, the city was reinforced with new walls, ditches and gates (1199), and a network of canals further improved agriculture. In the 13th century Crema was also enriched with its famous cathedral and the Palazzo Pretorio.

Santa Maria della Croce church

The communal independence ended in 1335, when the city surrendered to Gian Galeazzo Visconti, whose family held the city until the end of the century. In 1361 Crema was touched by the Black Death. A brief period of rule by the Guelph Benzoni family followed (Bartolomeo and Paolo from 1403 to 1405, then their nephew Giorgio until 1423). The seignory passed again to the Visconti, and, from 1449 onwards, to the Republic of Venice.

As a Venetian inland province, Crema obtained numerous privileges and was safe from the economic decline of the nearby Duchy of Milan under Spanish rule. It maintained a substantial level of autonomy, which allowed for a program of new buildings. These included a new line of walls, the rebuilding of the Palazzo Comunale (1525–1533), the Palazzo della Notaria, now Palazzo Vescovile.

The 17th century saw the beginning of the decadence of the city, caused by the decline of its industrial activities, although agriculture continued to flourish. In 1796 an Academy of Agriculture was founded. After the

department of Alto Po [it; fr] centred on Cremona. After the Napoleonic wars the Congress of Vienna awarded Crema to Austria as part of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia. Within Lombardy–Venetia it became part of the Province of Lodi–Crema [it
] within the sub-Kingdom of Lombardy.

By the 1859

Risorgimento, which saw Sardinia become the Kingdom of Italy
in 1861. In 1946, the Kingdom became the modern Italian Republic.

Main sights

Crema's most famous historical sights are:

Many other sights, such as minor churches and private palaces, are dislocated through the city center.

  • Santissima Trinità church
    Santissima Trinità church
  • Palazzo Terni Gregori
    Palazzo Terni Gregori
  • Palazzo Vescovile, official residence of the bishop
    Palazzo Vescovile, official residence of the bishop
  • Torrazzo
    Torrazzo
  • Porta Ombriano, western city gate
    Porta Ombriano, western city gate
  • Porta Serio, eastern city gate
    Porta Serio, eastern city gate

Culture

Civic Museum of Crema

The Civic Museum of Crema, established in the 1960, is located in the Renaissance convent of Sant ‘Agostino.

Cuisine

The

spices and the mostaccino
(a typical spiced biscuit).

Also worth mentioning is the salva, a DOP cheese typical of the Crema area, traditionally consumed with tighe (green Lombard pepper), packaged in vinegar.

Poor dish typically consumed in winter, accompanied by cotechino (gelatinous pork sausage in a natural casing) or boiled meat, is pipèto (flan of cabbage, butter, garlic, parmesan, nutmeg).

The main sweets of the city are the treccia d'oro, the Bertolina cake (Bertulina), a popular autumn cake made with red grapes, to which a square festival is also dedicated, and the noblest Spongarda, consumed throughout the year.

Moreover, in time of Carnival, chisulì are prepared, balls filled with a mixture prepared with lemon peel, brewer's yeast, raisins, apple and lard.[3]

People

Transport

Crema is served by a railway station on the Treviglio–Cremona railway, with regional trains.

There were three national roads connecting the city: SS 415 to Milan and Cremona; SS 591 to Piacenza and Bergamo; and SS 235 to Brescia and Pavia. The nearest motorway exits are the one of Lodi-Pieve Fissiraga, on the Autostrada A1 and the one of Romano di Lombardia on the Autostrada A35 - BreBeMi, opened in July 2014.

In popular culture

The film Call Me by Your Name (2017) was shot primarily in Crema. Several historical locations in the surrounding streets in Crema and Pandino were chosen during production, including the Crema Cathedral.

Municipal Government

The Town Hall of Crema.

Since local government political reorganization in 1993, Crema has been governed by the City Council of Crema. Voters elect directly the councilors and the Mayor of Crema every five years.

The current Mayor of Crema is Fabio Bergamaschi (PD), elected on 26 June 2022 with 58% of votes.

This is a list of the mayors of Crema since 1993:

Mayor Term start Term end   Party
Cesare Giovinetti 6 December 1993 1 December 1997 LN
Claudio Ceravolo 1 December 1997 28 May 2007 DS
Bruno Bruttomesso 28 May 2007 21 May 2012 LN
Stefania Bonaldi 21 May 2012 27 June 2022 PD
Fabio Bergamaschi 27 June 2022 Incumbent PD

Sister cities

References

  1. ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. Istat
  3. ^ Cammilleri.
  4. ^ "Guadagnino superstar a Crema Ecco i luoghi del film da Oscar". 8 February 2018.
  5. ^ Thomas, Dana (August 2016). "One Italian Filmmaker's Ultimate Set — His Own Home". The New York Times.

Bibliography

Rino Cammilleri, Tutti i giorni con Maria, calendario delle apparizioni, Milano, Ares, 2020, ISBN 978-88-815-59-367.