AROUND CREMA
“A place suspended in time, with museums, shrines, parks and springs”
Relais Vimercati is located in a seventeenth-century stately home in the heart of the Old Town of Crema, the City of Harmony – where organs and bells are made – and genuine flavours, such as Salva Cremasco cheese, Tortelli Cremaschi filled pasta, Spongarda tart and Bertolina cake.
Nestling in the greenery of the Po Plain, a short distance from the international airports of Milan and Bergamo, Crema can also be easily reached by train.
In the elegant Old Town, visitors can admire some fine examples of civil and religious architecture, such as Piazza Duomo, with the Torrazzo and Torre Guelfa towers, the Church of the Holy Trinity, Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, the Austro-Hungarian market and the Shrine of Santa Maria della Croce.
The city also boasts some delightful surrounding nature, with an impressive network of cycle paths covering much of the municipal area and linking the outskirts of the city with the centre.
Some routes stretch into the municipalities bordering Crema, such as the Canale Vacchelli Cycle Path that runs alongside an artificial waterway cutting right across the Crema area from west to east: a 36km-long ecological corridor that links the Adda Sud, Serio and Oglio Nord parks and the Moso and Tormo parks covering several municipalities.
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AN OSCAR-WINNING ITINERARY!
Relais Vimercati had the great pleasure of hosting the actors from Call Me by Your Name, the famous 2017 movie directed by Luca Guadagnino, winner of an Oscar for the Best Adapted Screenplay and filmed around the Crema area.
Guadagnino focused closely on the architecture and urban planning of Crema, with numerous scenes set in Piazza del Duomo and in the network of cobbled streets around the Old Town.
Pedalling along by bike like the two main characters, visitors can also reach other places, such as Palazzo Pignano (famous for its archaeological area), on the way from Crema to the municipality of Pandino, where Piazza Vittorio Emanuele was the setting for one of the key scenes in the movie. And what about the waterfalls, such as the Serio Falls, in Valbondione? Or the little-known springs, one of the hidden treasures of the Crema area. The one immortalised by Guadagnino is the Quarantina Spring, in the Parco dei Fontanili di Capralba (in the village of Farinate) a natural park stretching across 750 hectares and comprising four municipalities, and boasting a total of 13 springs.
As you continue cycling along the roads that run through the countryside, past Sergnano and Casale Cremasco, you will reach Ricengo, where you can make a small detour towards Parco del Serio. In this regional park, where the local wildlife is protected, you can admire the Laghetto dei Riflessi, a little lake that also featured in the movie. Finally, before returning to Crema, you can lengthen your route a little with a visit to the nearby Moscazzano, home to Villa Albergoni, in which much of Call Me by Your Name was set, because it was the summer residence of the main character Elio.
EXPERIENCES NOT TO BE MISSED
Bike Tour
To explore the city’s monuments and museums and venture through the breath-taking scenery and natural parks of the Crema area by bicycle.
Parco Regionale del Serio
To enjoy all the beauty of the River Serio and reach the nearby Bergamo plain.
Shrine of Santa Maria della Croce
For a journey through art and the ancient cult of the Virgin Mary.
Water Museum
Permanent exhibitions that illustrate the history of the River Serio through the pebbles and meanders along the way, as well as the relationship between humankind and water.
Guelfa Tower
A Romanesque-style tower also known as Torre Pretoria or Torre del Capitano. A visit to his mediaeval construction is a must for those wishing to take a step into the past.
Adda Park
For a nature trail that runs mainly along the cart roads flanking the Adda River.