The exhibition dedicated to Antonio Stradivari, the greatest lutier of all times, represents an example of illumination in a nineteeth-century context, the Cremona Town-hall. The merely essential preparation, studied by architect Gae Aulenti, let the maximum visual space to the works and was based on the severity of a square and modular grid whose aim was to join strenghthen the musical instruments image. The glass-cases, properly studied for Stradivari´s lutes, had a very simple, airy design, allowing the valuable objects to be the absolute protagonists. The risk to bring too much heat and ultraviolet rays to the instruments led to the selection of a element formally very similar to the glass-cases, but whose only task was to support the lighting fixtures. The lighting elements, called "towers", whose structure is quite similar to the glass-cases, were supporting a nikel-plated metal grid, canted over at an angle of 45°, with respect to the ground, for housing nine 100 W, 24 V halogenous lamps, with built in optical instrument and whose articulation could be oriented on a semi-opaque white painted metalic reflecting panel: possible dispersion of light flux could be avoided by orientating it to the adjoining glass-cases, properly measuring out the light shade ratio on instruments. It has therefore been obtained an indirect light limited to 300 lux per room with a shade of colour of 3000 K, ideal for smooth and curved wooden surfaces of the Stradivaris. (FLARE, n° 1, June 1989)