An Intangible Cultural Heritage Asset as a Driver for the Development of Tourism: Violin Making in Cremona, Italy

In 2012, “Traditional Violin Craftsmanship in Cremona” was included in the UNESCO\r\nRepresentative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In the city,\r\nthe link between the urban context and artistic craftsmanship is seen most clearly in\r\nthe Cultural District of Violin Making, characterised by the so-called “atelier effect”.\r\nThis high concentration of professionals in the field has led to the presence of several\r\nactors that play a role in the handing down and dissemination of this art: the “Antonio\r\nStradivari” Cremona Consortium of Violin Makers, the Italian Violin Making\r\nAssociation, the Fondazione Museo del Violino Antonio Stradivari, the UNESCO\r\noffice of the Cremona Municipality. The Safeguard Plan for traditional violin craftsmanship\r\nin Cremona and its application in the UNESCO Creative Cities network\r\nare now in progress. This study intends both to understand how the violin-making\r\nsupply chain moves between traditional and innovative aspects and to analyse how\r\nits dense cluster of institutions and professionals (about 150) could enhance musical\r\ntourism based on the desire of tourists to get in touch with the creativity of the artisanal\r\nmanufacture of musical instruments. The aim is to highlight how to promote\r\nthis niche of cultural tourism in this period of significant changes resulting from\r\ntechnology implementation. Furthermore, it is necessary to understand how this\r\naspect integrates with the other specificities of the area (e.g., the monumental ones)\r\nto convey and strengthen its image. The research was carried out through qualitative\r\nand semi-structured interviews.