To Crema

May 28, 2023

Well, OK. Maybe after four days of short, easy rides through the ultraflat Po Valley, just a bit of monotony starts creeping in. Today’s ride is different of course, but not that different. I’ve lost count of how many scenes we’ve biked past when Rachael checks with me, swearing that we were just here recently. Same same, but different.

It’s a good thing Rachael’s on task with her GoPro to come away with a record of today’s ride, because I hardly broke out the camera at all.

We stop to admire this stylish artwork on the way out of town, taking time to take a selfie and debate whether it’s a violin or guitar. I remind Rachael that Cremona is known as the City of the Violin, as a hint.

Interesting spot for this lighthouse-like structure, over a hundred miles from the sea. Maybe it supports navigation on the Po?

This idiosyncratic place was worth several shots to focus on the details, but Rachael’s pulling away so I make do with just the one. I especially like the long chains hanging down from the lanterns on either side - pull chains to turn the lights on and off?

I’m sorry I failed to note where this fine work was found. Definitely worth a stop though.

Video sound track: Il peggio è passat, by Fabrizio Moro

We arrive in Crema around a half hour before we can check in to our B&B, so we bump down the cobblestones to the Duomo Piazza, pull up a table in the shade, and order up a pair of gelati. Pistachio and dark chocolate definitely hits the spot alright, but the shade is the essential detail because it’s hot and humid again today. Amazing - after all that worry about expecting rain daily for the rest of the trip, we’ve been riding dry and applying the sunscreen ever since arriving in Verona eight days ago.

Crema’s another town we’ve seen before - just two years ago, when we caught the train down from Trento to ride out of the rain. My memory of it (like so many things, unfortunately) is pretty dim, but I’m really surprised to look back through that journal and see that we stayed here three nights and took a pair of day rides.

We liked it then, we like it now. In fact, as exceptional as Cremona’s Cathedral and its piazza are, we probably like Crema even better because its scale and atmosphere appeal to us more. Once we’ve waited out the heat of the day and walk around until dinner we’re reminded of what a special little place it is.

Crema is considerably quieter and more peaceful than Cremona, and nearly everyone we see looks like they live here.

The Church of the Holy Trinity. When we were here before we stayed in an apartment that must have been in the mustard yellow building on the right, because we could see and hear!) the church and belltower right across the street from our window.

The Arco del Torrazzo, the monumental renaissance gate to the cathedral square. The gate splits city hall, which brackets it on the right and left.

The monumental figures of San Pantaleone and San Vittoriano highlight the inner face of the gate.

One half of town hall opposes the facade of the cathedral.

Like the cathedral in Cremona but on a smaller scale, Crema’s Duomo is a structure you can’t take your eyes off of.

Detail from the left side of the cathedral’s facade.

We’d like to see the inside of the cathedral, but it’s closed to visitors for Sunday afternoon’s service. It’s almost time for our dinner reservation when the doors suddenly open and the few worshipers stream out, so we take our chance and slip inside. We’re only inside for a few minutes when a man comes up with something urgent to tell us about what we’re seeing, and quickly ushers us outside so he can speak freely instead of whispering.

What follows is a five minute monologue delivered with much intensity, passion, gesticulation and facial expression. Rachael catches on sooner than I do that something’s off here and starts trying to interrupt so we can take our leave, but he just keeps going. Finally, after she sees a man looking out the door of the cathedral and giving the universally recognized scrambled brain sign, we just say thanks and rapidly walk away, his monolog continuing on behind us.

Inside the cathedral. It deserved a much longer look than the brief one we gave it.

We’d like these ten minutes back please. We could have used them looking longer inside the cathedral.

We enjoy a fine pasta meal sitting at an outdoor table outside the gate - we’re really enjoying these warm evenings and dining outside watching the evening pageant walk or roll past our table. Afterwards I see that the lights are coming on at the cathedral so we go back through the gate for a last look before walking back to our room.

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Ride stats today: 30 miles, 700’; for the tour: 1,464 miles, 64,400’

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