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