The viola da gamba

otherwise known as the viol but viola da gamba is more fun to say. you play it like a cello which is what gives it its name as it literally translates to viol of the leg in Latin. interestingly the viola and violin is called viola da braccio which means viol of the arm.  It has frets like a guitar but is bowed. The back is flat and the swirly holes look more like a C than an F like your average viola. instead of 4 strings it has about 6 or 7 gut strings and they a tuned in 4ths with a 3rd in the middle like a lute. the tuning is A,D,G, B, E,A.  the bow hold is best associated with a double bass.

the viola da gamba mainlined Spain around the 15th centaury and so it is normally associated with Spanish heritage (although like most things the Moorish crew invented the style). A dude called Stefano Pio around that time claimed the invention to Venice but it is difficult to prove and it remains a Spanish instrument.