CONTROCORRENTE

Venice, Mantua, Cremona: the three cities of Claudio Monteverdi.

As part of the Monteverdi Festival 2026, the “Controcorrente” itinerary, scheduled from June 11 to 14, symbolically retraces the artistic and personal journey of Claudio Monteverdi, connecting the three central cities of his biography – Venice, Mantua, and Cremona – through an integrated experience of river navigation, visits, and major musical events.

Description

Venice and the Po Delta
The itinerary begins in Venice, the city where the composer spent his last and most creative period. After embarking at the Arsenale, the boat crosses the lagoon and the canals that historically connected the Serenissima to the inland territories, reaching the Po Delta, a landscape of extraordinary environmental value and testimony to the great Venetian hydraulic works.

Mantua, at the court of the Gonzagas
From Taglio di Po, we reach Mantua, the city of the Gonzaga court, where Monteverdi worked for over twenty years. The program includes a visit to the Ducal Palace and Palazzo Te, masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance and emblematic places of Mantua’s artistic season between the 16th and 17th centuries.

Cremona, birthplace
The journey along the Great River finally leads to Cremona, the composer’s birthplace. The itinerary includes a visit to the historic center and the Violin Museum, guardian of the violin-making tradition.

The itinerary includes participation in the following events of the Monteverdi Festival:

June 12 – 9:00 PM
CARMELA REMIGIO & KARALIS ANTIQUA

June 13 – 6:00 PM | Courtyards and palaces of Cremona
MADRIGALI DIFFUSI
by La Lira di Orfeo

8:30 PM |Ponchielli Theatre
Première
L’INCORONAZIONE DI POPPEA by C. Monteverdi
Roberto Catalano – director
Paul Agnew – conductor
Les Arts Florissants

June 14 – 12:00 AM|Auditorium G. Arvedi – Museo del Violino
IN TONO ANTICO
Performances with historical instruments from the Cremonese violin-making heritage

9:00 PM|S. Agostino Church
TEODORA IMPERATRICE. Opera in forma di mosaico by M. Montalbetti
Barbara Roganti – director
Antonio Greco – conductor
Cremona Antiqua

The “Controcorrente” cruise itinerary combines musical heritage, landscape, and local identity, highlighting the Po River as a cultural axis and promoting an integrated enjoyment of Italian heritage in the spirit of Claudio Monteverdi.

INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPATION FEE € 1280,00

THE PRICE INCLUDES:

The Cruise from Venice to Taglio di Po, with exclusive chartered ship, breakfast and lunch on board;
All transfers by private bus as mentioned;
Accommodation in Cat. 4* in the center of both Mantua and Cremona, in double rooms, breakfast and city tax included;
Meals as scheduled, in selected restaurants, including beverage packages;
The visits indicated, with a guide and including entrances;
The transfer by ship from Gerre de’ Caprioli to Cremona;
Tickets for Auditions, Concerts during the Monteverdi Festival as indicated in the program with assigned seats;
The assistance of a companion for the entire duration of the trip;

VAT.

IT DOES NOT INCLUDE:
Anything not expressly mentioned in the previous paragraph.
Possibility of transfer from Cremona to Venice on June 10th with the guide, fee
on request, including overnight stay in Venice.

For further information and bookings:
Technical Organization
GUINDANI VIAGGI Sas
Corso Garibaldi 88/90, 26100 Cremona
info@guindaniviaggi.it