Sirmione on Lake Garda

This charming lakeside town in the shape of a long peninsula is located in the southern part of Lake Garda. In shape, it resembles a giant tail of a dragon, which calmly rests under the sun on the water. The name Sirmione is probably derived from the Greek "Syrma", meaning tail or plume. According to another version, the name may come from the Galic “syrm” (refuge, shelter, abode) and “one” (water), which means “refuge on the water”.

Ancient Sirmio was known since ancient Roman times as an inn along the Roman Gali road, it was already mentioned in the first century BC. At that time, in this picturesque place, the first villas of rich Roman patricians bloomed. One of them is traditionally attributed to Valerio Catullo (87-54 BC), a famous Latin poet who sang Sirmione in his poetry. Catullo called Sirmione “the pearl of all islands and peninsulas, seas and lakes.”

Crossing a small bridge opposite the medieval castle of the Scaligers of the XIII century, we find ourselves inside the town and this bridge is the only entrance to Sirmione.

From the Catullo Grotto, you can admire the fascinating panorama, imagining yourself on board a large ship, from where our gaze is lost in the distance between green hills and lake towns.

Catullo's grottoes have a unique scenographic location, in an unusually panoramic place, on the very edge of the peninsula!

We will visit the Catullo Grottoes, these majestic ruins from a Roman villa of gigantic size, built in the first century BC.

The archaeological complex was excavated at the beginning of the XIX century and is an important proof of the existence of a prosperous Roman period on the territory of Sirmione. Occupying a vast area, this Roman villa is the largest in size ever discovered in Northern Italy.

Hot springs, rich in hydrogen sulfide, beat from the ground 30 kilometers from Sirmione, in the early XIX century, engineers sent water springs through pipes in the center of Sirmione, preserving the original water temperature. Today, these springs are the wealth of the famous thermal spas in Sirmione, following ancient Roman traditions.

The incomparable opera singer Maria Callas loved Sirmione very much and sometimes came here to relax. Elderly Sirmiones still remember her presence warmly and after her death, they dedicated a small museum to her.

Signora Callas was in love with these places, and fans called her “Divine” for her beauty and boundless talan. Walking through the center of Sirmione you can still feel the magic of this famous singer.

We can also see ancient Longobard ruins and ancient Romanesque churches, inside are painted the most valuable frescoes of the XIV-XVI centuries, which are well preserved over time.

I will be glad to introduce to every corner of this fairy-tale place, with its history and legends.

See you in Sirmione,

your guide Christina.

Visit to Catullo Grottoes (entrance ticket 8 euros / person)

Grottoes closed on Monday