The UNESCO’S headquarters will be hosting, on May, 6 and 7, some events that will celebrate the admission of “violin making know-how” of the city of Cremona to the UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Heritage of Humanity, happened on 5 December 2012.

The art of making bowed stringed instruments in Cremona developed in the sixteenth century with Andrea Amati and continued on with the luthiers of his family and with the Guarneri family; the art was perfected in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries by Antonio Stradivari.

This knowledge has been passed down through the ages from master to student, often from father to son, and refined in practice, through exclusively manual methods and an in-depth knowledge of materials and construction techniques

The “Antonio Stradivari” Consortium of Violin Makers Cremona was established in 1996 to promote and enhance contemporary violin making in Cremona that follows and respects traditional craftsmanship. The Consortium is made up of approximately sixty master luthiers in the Cremona province.

In order to safeguard the work of their members, the Consortium has developed, in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce and the Artisan Associations, the “Cremona Liuteria” trademark. This trademark ensures that certified instruments are handmade by a professional violin maker in Cremona.