Casalmaggiore

Piazza Garibaldi, i.e. Garibaldi Square, is the main square in Casalmaggiore (Cremona). Its construction started in 1618 in a marshland, crossed by the ditch of Castelvecchio, which was the first core of the village. In the original piazza Grande, the eclectic Town Hall was built in 1788 that divided the square into two main parts: piazza Turati, i.e. Turati square, in the back and today’s piazza Garibaldi, i.e. Garibaldi square, in the front. The village offers visitors cultural sightseeing places, like the Diotti Museum, with works of art of the 19th century, or the Bijou Museum in the basement of the Church of the Holy Cross, which was officially opened in 1986 to accommodate jewellery artworks manufactured by local businesses between 1887 and 1970. Walking along via Cairoli, one finds the Torrione Estense, i.e. the keep, which is the only part left of a fortified complex built by the Estensi family and dating back to the Renaissance. Worth mentioning among the things and places to see in the surroundings, are particularly fascinating historical places, such as the Church of Santa Maria all’Argine, which testifies to the ancient location of Casalmaggiore, with its Romanesque tower bell and façade of the 17th century. Worth visiting is also the nearby Park of the Po River flood plain (Parco della Golena del Po), with the Po River being the longest Italian river.