Festa del Torrone Cremona 2026: dates and programme

1. Three weekends, from 7 to 22 November 2026

The 29th edition, over three weekends

7 to 22 November 2026 Free entry Historic centre November: 5 to 11 °C on average

The festival’s official site lists the event from Saturday 7 to Sunday 22 November 2026, over six days across three weekends: 7 and 8, 14 and 15, then 21 and 22 November. The italia.it portal gives the same calendar. Visit the official Festa del Torrone site.

The confirmed days

• Saturday 7 November: free access to the events, the Palatorrone and the free Sperlari train.
• Sunday 8 November: the most detailed day, with the procession and a fire show.
• Sunday 15 November: historic train from Milan on the outbound leg (departs 8:45 am) and the Arcano show at 5:15 pm; the return train leaves at 2:50 pm and leaves no time to see the show.
• Saturday 21 November: the historic centre is open from 9 am to 8 pm, with chef demonstrations.

Dates not to copy: the Dream of Italy listing gives 11 to 19 November 2026. Those dates match the 2023 edition. The official site is the reference.

Only one Viator activity in Cremona made the cut for this edition: a visit to the Academia Cremonensis, a school of violin-making and archery bow-making. It has nothing to do with torrone, but it can fill a half-day away from the festival events. It runs on all sixteen days of the festival, from €64.95 per person on weekdays and €69.95 at weekends (based on 2 adults), with slots between 10 am and 5 pm depending on the day. Prices and availability checked on 11 October 2026 via Viator; they may change.

The Secret of Stradivari in Cremona: visit the Violinmaker School €64.95 to €69.95 per person (based on 2 adults) · ★ 4.8 (45 reviews)

See the visit in Cremona

2. Programme: what the official site publishes

The official site publishes a day-by-day programme, but not every detail is online yet. The table below separates what is confirmed, partial and still to be confirmed, based on the site as of 11 October 2026. Check it again the day before your visit: the page for Sunday 8 November says the programme is being updated.

Source: official Festa del Torrone site, checked on 11 October 2026.

Sunday 8 November: procession and closing fire show

This is the most detailed day on the site. The giant Rivoltini installation occupies Piazza Roma from 3 pm to 5 pm. The historic procession, with around a hundred costumed extras, sets off at 4 pm and re-enacts the wedding of Bianca Maria Visconti and Francesco Sforza. Next come the re-enactment of the wedding gift handover (5 pm to 5:10 pm), a demonstration by the sbandieratori (flag-wavers) at 5:20 pm, then the closing fire show from 5:35 pm to 6 pm.

Saturday 21 November: the most complete day

The historic centre is open from 9 am to 8 pm. The Stand Kids, in Piazza Roma, welcomes children from 9 am to 1 pm, then from 3 pm to 6 pm. The Sperlari train runs every hour from 10 am to 1 pm and from 3 pm to 6 pm, for a trip of about an hour, with 40 seats per departure and a free ticket to collect in Piazza Roma. Entry to the Palatorrone is free and needs no booking: the chef demonstrations are detailed in the timeline below.

Sunday 15 November, then the days still to be filled in

On 15 November, the Palatorrone stays open with free entry, the Arcano show takes place in Piazza del Comune at 5:15 pm, and a meeting with the Marchesi 1824 house is set for 6 pm. The same day, the historic train brings visitors from Milan on the 8:45 am departure; its return at 2:50 pm does not leave time to see the show. The detailed programme for Saturday 14 and Sunday 22 November was not published on 11 October. The site mentions a closing event on 22 November; previous editions ended with a show in Piazza del Comune, but nothing confirms this for 2026.

3. Torrone and tastings: where to taste and where to buy

The festival is best visited for the tasting. The Palatorrone is the main tasting and demonstration space: entry is free, with no booking, first come, first served. Chefs also make recipes with other torrone variations during the Saturday 21 November demonstrations.

Traditional torrone combines honey, sugar, whisked egg white and nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios or walnuts, depending on the recipe). The wafer base, made from potato starch, can be used underneath depending on the maker. The municipal rules (disciplinare) quoted by one search extract could not be confirmed: they are not included here. Composition noted from product sheets and recipes on 11 October 2026.

To buy, the Sperlari house, founded in Cremona in 1836 by Enea Sperlari, is the most cited name. Sources disagree on the address of its historic shop: check it before you go.

The festival’s partner conventions offer discounts. The Sperlari stecca (torrone bar) drops from €12 to €9 for eligible visitors, and the Area ristoro in Piazza Roma gives 10% off. The « Cremona, città dell’arte, della storia e della musica » route costs €12, free for under-14s, with booking on 379 1165691 or [email protected]. It is valid on 7 and 8, 14 and 15, and 21 and 22 November.

Source: conventions page of the official site; diocesan notice and Museo del Violino sheet for the museums, checked on 11 October 2026.

4. From Milan: regional train, historic train or car

Trenord runs a direct service between Milano Centrale and Cremona, listed at 68 to 70 minutes depending on the page checked (one travel guide gives 1 hour 15 minutes). The timetable could not be checked on the date of consultation: check trenord.it before you leave.

The historic train on 15 November

Fondazione FS runs a historic train, the ETR 252 « Arlecchino », between Milano Centrale and Cremona on Sunday 15 November 2026. The outbound leaves Milan at 8:45 am, with stops at Pizzighettone, Codogno, Lodi and Milano Rogoredo, and arrives in Cremona at 10:10 am. The return leaves Cremona at 2:50 pm and reaches Milan at 4:10 pm. The 2026 fare and the opening date for bookings have not been published. In 2024, adults paid €12, children aged 0 to 14 travelled free, and a booking was needed for a seat.

The historic return train at 2:50 pm does not allow you to see the Arcano show at 5:15 pm in Piazza del Comune. To combine the two, you need a return on a regular train, whose times still need to be checked on trenord.it.

Source: Fondazione FS for the historic train; Primi Viaggi agency flyer, partial reading, for the coach; checked on 11 October 2026.

Car and parking

The underground car park in Piazza Marconi is paid, with a rate not checked. Coaches drop off in Piazza Libertà. The motorhome area at Piazzale Atleti Azzurri d’Italia has 200 spaces: €20 on Friday and Saturday, €10 on Sunday. No 2026 limited traffic zone (ZTL) rule had been published at the time of checking.

5. Torrazzo and museums: opening times to check

The Torrazzo, a bell tower of about 112 metres, has 502 steps to climb according to diocesan notices. Its top terrace reopened in March 2025. The combined ticket with the Baptistery and the Diocesan Museum costs €10 according to a 2023 notice, still to be confirmed. Opening times vary from one source to another: check them on the diocesan website before your visit.

The Museo del Violino is in the Palazzo dell’Arte, Piazza Marconi 5. A full ticket costs €12 and a reduced ticket €9, according to a September 2023 sheet. The opening times noted that year were Tuesday to Friday, 11 am to 5 pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm, with the museum closed on Monday.

Cremona’s violin-making craft has been on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list since 2012.

6. Torrone: the history, what we know and what is told

Local tradition links torrone to the wedding of Bianca Maria Visconti and Francesco Sforza, celebrated in Cremona in October 1441. Sources disagree on the day: 24 October according to the Milan State Archives, 25 according to Italian Wikipedia.

A legend says pastry makers moulded a honey nougat in the shape of the Torrazzo, the city’s tower, and that its name came from this. It is a story repeated by the festival organiser and by guides, not a documented fact. The etymology remains uncertain: Italian Wikipedia suggests the Latin torrēre (to roast) or the Arabic turun, and cites a first certain mention in 1543, to be checked. Torrone is therefore linked to Cremona through tradition and the festival, without it being possible to say it was invented there in 1441.

7. Budget: what a day can cost

Entry to the events is free, which removes the cost most often expected. The rest depends on your choices. The costs noted:

• Festival, Palatorrone and Sperlari train: €0.
• Milan-Cremona return train: 2026 regional fare not checked, to confirm on the Trenord site. For the historic train on 15 November, €12 per adult in 2024, 2026 fare to be confirmed.
• Visits: between €10 and €22 depending on the combinations (Torrazzo, museums), to check.
• Convention route: €12, free for under-14s.
• Parking: paid underground car park, rate not checked. Motorhome: €20 on Friday and Saturday, €10 on Sunday.
• Accommodation: no reliable rate for November 2026. One comparison site gives an average of around €82 a night, an indicative figure from July 2026.
• Meals: not priced by our sources.

For a paid show, a lunch « A pranzo con Mina e Ugo » at the Teatrodanza auditorium is announced on Sundays 8, 15 and 22 November at 12:45 pm, for €39, with booking required. This information comes from an events listing, not from the official site.

A Saturday in Cremona, hour by hour

Here is one possible plan for Saturday 21 November, the day best documented by the official site. The times are those published; check them again the day before.

• 9 am: the historic centre opens. Start in Piazza Roma, where the Stand Kids (until 1 pm) and the Sperlari train ticket point are.
• 10 am: first Sperlari train departure, free with a ticket to collect on the spot, then one departure an hour until 1 pm.
• Noon to 3 pm: lunch in the centre, then a visit to the Torrazzo if the slot is confirmed on the diocesan site.
• 3 pm: the Stand Kids and the Sperlari train resume.
• 4 pm: demonstration by chef Stefano Massari at the Palatorrone.
• 5 pm: demonstration by chef Lorenzo Barbieri at the Palatorrone.
• 6 pm: ONAV wine tasting at the Palatorrone.
• 8 pm: end of access to the historic centre.

Based on your profile

• Families: the Stand Kids (9 am to 1 pm and 3 pm to 6 pm on 21 November) and the Sperlari train are designed for children. On the historic train on 15 November, children aged 0 to 14 travelled free in 2024.
• Couples: for a weekend for two, Sunday 15 November can combine the outbound historic train, arriving in Cremona at 10:10 am, with the Arcano show at 5:15 pm. The return would then be on a regular Trenord train, whose times still need checking. The historic return at 2:50 pm does not suit this option.
• Tight budget: stick to the free events, the Palatorrone and the Sperlari train. Accommodation is the most uncertain cost, since no reliable rate has been published.
• First visit: Saturday 7 or Sunday 8 November give a good first idea of the festival, with the procession and the closing fire show for the second.
• Reduced mobility: we found no reliable information on access to the festival sites. Ask the Info point (+39 0372 407081) before you go.

Mistakes to avoid

• Booking on the strength of a listing dated 11 to 19 November: it repeats the 2023 edition.
• Buying a ticket for the historic train without confirming its 2026 fare, which was not published at the time of checking.
• Parking without knowing the rate: the underground car park is paid, and no 2026 ZTL rule had been published.
• Counting on a precise time for the Torrazzo or the Museo del Violino: times differ between sources.
• Overlooking allergies: egg white and nuts are part of the traditional recipe, and wafer may appear depending on the maker. Read the ingredients list of every product.

What other guides don’t tell you

These gaps are checked against official sources and absent from the guides we read.

• The 2026 dates are 7 to 22 November, not 11 to 19. The Dream of Italy listing repeats the 2023 edition. Source: official Festa del Torrone site (checked on 11 October 2026).
• Sunday 8 November has a precise timetable. Procession from 4 pm to 5 pm, fire show from 5:35 pm to 6 pm. Source: page for 8 November (checked on 11 October 2026).
• Discounts exist through the convention partners. The Sperlari stecca drops to €9 instead of €12, and the « città dell’arte » route costs €12. Source: conventions page (checked on 11 October 2026).