We were looking for a hotel that would be convenient to Cremona, but not in the city. We decided to stay at Hotel Gambara. It was a terrific decision. Gambara is approximately 30 minutes northeast of Cremona. Mariuccia, the proprietor of the hotel, is an elegant, funny, and welcoming host. Even if the hotel itself had not been a pleasure, the stay would have been worth it just to meet her. I suppose one could say that the hotel is a little past its prime, but that would miss the point. This is an authentic experience, in a convenient jumping-off point to a city well worth visiting – Cremona (which has a fantastic new violin museum). The hotel, which is very comfortable, also has easy access to a wonderful restaurant just down the road called the Stella. The food was excellent and the staff could not have been nicer. We were very glad that we stopped in this wonderful little hotel.