Cremona was home to several families of
violin makers in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. The best known of these manufacturers is
Stradivari, though Guarneri violins fetch about the same prices (several million for a good
Stradivarius) because of their relative rarity. There's a lot of debate over what made Cremonese violins so special. Theories include special conditions affecting the wood or varnish, though it's entirely likely that these guys were simply really good at what they did. The film
the Red Violin claims to portray a violin made in
Cremora.