When planning this vacation, the Sirmione peninsula and Roman villa ruins became a magnet and we scheduled a day trip back in history to visit an ancient vacation spot of extremely wealthy Roman citizens.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles… but we chose the Ferry System
About 15 minutes from our hotel is the town of Salo’, which is the location of the docks for the ferry service. The ferry system offers more time-efficient scenic lake steamers or hydrofoils; all depending on your time and budget constraints.
We opted for the hydrofoil and took the midday boat with two other stops before our destination. As we moved further from the dock we began to notice white caps and a slight ripple in the water which once again reminded us of the sheer size of this lake… an hour later we were entering the Sirmione docks.
A Brief History of Sirmione
The peninsula has a very long history, but we’ll spare you… in short, it went from a stone age fishing village, to a holiday destination in the 1st century for very rich and powerful families from Verona, to a strategic military. defensive position with a fortress in the 13th century, to an obsolete castle fortification in the 15th century which was finally converted into a storage facility in the 19th century.
Lemons in Lemoncello
After all that turbulence, the people of Sirmione settled into an idyllic agrarian life filled with olive trees, fruit orchards, and lake fishing. But in the late 19th century, some enterprising individuals, using a metal pipe, discovered a way to tap into a hot spring on the peninsula.
Let’s see…we’ve got mineral hot spring water (158* F), a castle, a collection of ancient churches, a piece of land with beautiful views of Italy’s largest lake topped with a fairly intact Roman villa/thermal bath ruins.. A new tourist attraction was reborn on the peninsula.
An ambitious goal Marketing wins over precision
Their creative and enterprising minds went into overdrive and the main attraction was now called “Catullus Grottoes”.
Some liberties were taken as there was actually no grotto but just a series of dilapidated buildings with collapsed walls and a few caves. Also, as far as the Catullus part goes…the villa was created around 150 AD and the famous Italian poet Catullus had died almost 200 years before the villa was built…but that didn’t stop the show .
Once again tourism finds Sirmione and the crowds return to this ancient town…now complete with a medieval castle, three churches, spa hotels, thermal baths, restaurants, shopping areas and of course the famous Villa Ruins Roman/Bathhouse.
The main square is right next to the dock area and is lined with souvenir shops and the more or less usual tourist dining options… but it’s easy to find a good pizza in Italy and enjoy al fresco dining on linen tablecloths. red squares.
The Scaligero Castle (Rocca Scaligera)
After a short walk from the square, we find the heralded “fairy tale castle”… the 13th century Scaligero Castle. The castle is surrounded by a moat and can be entered via two drawbridges. The drawbridges were built for defensive reasons to keep out invaders and also the locals.
Twelve Euros ($15) and about twenty minutes later we had “seen” the castle and walked along the walls… towards the next landmark… looking for the ruins as signage was quite limited.
We observed that the crowds were concentrated in the shopping and restaurant areas of the old town, the Scaligero Castle and the three small churches (Sant’Anna della Rocca, San Pietro in Mavino and Santa Maria Maggiore).
After making our way through the crowd, we saw an electric train offering rides from the thermal baths to the entrance of the ruins. For one euro per person each way… a good deal as it’s over a kilometer uphill walk.
The further we were from those places, the sparser the crowd. So going the extra mile paid off as the ruins were virtually empty of foot traffic.
Caves of Catullus (Grotte di Catullo)
The grounds around the ancient villa ruins are approximately five acres in a park-like setting with wonderful views in every direction…we finally found the “it was worth getting here” moment and not too soon.
Entry to the area was through a very well done archaeological museum that had exceptional exhibits in a multi-story structure. A picture really is worth a thousand words…needless to say, the untouched ruins were very impressive and worth the trip.
The boat back to Salo’
We got back to the dock area a bit before our scheduled ferry back to Salo’ as it was the last of the day and we didn’t want to miss it. There was an alternative ferry service called “Taxi Boat Sirmione” but it was priced higher.
Queuing for anything in Italy is always an interesting experience. Tourists usually keep something of a line and the Italians just merge at the door. So, as the ferry approaches the pier, all forms of discipline go out the window…some refer to this as chaos…we just smile, squeeze the ranks and shuffle along.
In summary
Our Lake Garda adventure was coming to a very positive end and our last dinner at Hotel Bolsone Dimora was an exceptional culinary delight and a perfect end to our visit.
We will leave for Sestri Levante in the morning and head further south towards the Ligurian coast and the Mediterranean Sea.
Please follow us as we continue our “Ultimate European Road Trip Series” – Part Ten – Sestri Levante / Liguria Italy.
After all, what’s the rush… get inspired.
© 2016 Inspired Travel Itineraries with Bob and Janice Kollar
