A JEWEL SET IN THE WATER

They call it the pearl of Lake Garda, and its castle in the water is like nothing else in the world. This is beautiful Sirmione, which occupies a delightful peninsula on the Lombardy side of Italy’s largest lake.

Watching over the ancient town centre is the magnificent Scaliger Castle, its position originally defensive and today extraordinarily picturesque. It’s one of Italy’s best-preserved 14th-century castles, built on the ruins of a Roman fortress. There are many legends surrounding this enchanted castle surrounded by water; the most famous concerns the ghost of the marquess Elaberto, who wanders the rooms on stormy nights in search of his beloved, whom he was unable to save.

There are three crenellated towers and a keep rising over forty metres. The nearly 150 stairs to the

wall walk allow visitors to enjoy one of the most stunning views of the lake. The castle’s wet dock was built about a century later, alongside a defensive wall around the town, one of whose corner towers can still be seen near the church of Santa Maria Maggiore.

In the shade of the castle walls, protected from the summer sun, is the lovely Spiaggia delle Muse, starting point for a panoramic pedestrian walkway; perhaps to enjoy while sipping a fresh juice made from the celebrated Garda lemons

At the very tip of the Sirmione peninsula lie the famous Grottoes of Catullus, which are actually not caves at all, but the ruins of a wealthy Roman villa. The curious name is a hangover from the Renaissance, when it was custo-

mary to use the term to refer to collapsed buildings, almost resembling natural caves. But what about Catullus? The Renaissance also brought the rediscovery of the ancient poet’s verses, and his description of his return to his beloved

home in Sirmione suggested a connection to the impressive ruins of the villa, although the link has never been definitively proven. Surrounding the archaeological site is an ancient olive grove with some 1500 trees, some of

which are 400 or 500 years old. And surrounding the olive grove is the Spiaggia Giamaica (Jamaica Beach), with its exotic atmosphere and great rocks polished by the water; from here the gaze drifts to the Rocca di Manerba promontory and the northern part of the lake.

Between the castle and the Grottoes of Catullus lies the charming town with its tangle of narrow streets, where we find more evidence of the Roman past; the villa of Maria Callas - who fell in love with Sirmione to the point that her husband Giovanni Battista Meneghini bought a house so she could spend her holidays here - and the fascinating church of San Pietro in Mavino, Sirmione’s most ancient, built in the Lombard period of the 8th century and containing 14th-century frescoes.

Sirmione has also been known, since at least Roman times, for its wonderful sulphur, bromide and iodide thermal springs, still used today for their preventive, therapeutic and rehabilitative properties. Hence the town’s stunning and exclusive spa centres, whose warm water also reaches one of the island’s prettiest beaches, Spiaggia delle Bionde (from ‘biunda’, meaning ‘enclosed place’), with its romantic natural pool.

If you want to see all Sirmione’s historical and natural attractions, don’t miss the opportunity for a boat - or canoe - trip, to collect breathtaking views and wonderful glimpses of all the places we’ve mentioned - the Scaliger Castle, the Grottoes of Catullus, the thermal baths, Villa Callas - from a unique angle.

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VILLA CORTINE PALACE HOTEL VialeC.Gennari,2-Sirmione(BS) ph.+390309905890 hotelvillacortine.com

Sirmione highlights, in town and out: In town

Scaliger Castle and the Grottoes of Catullus, with the ruins of one of the largest Roman residences in northern Italy.

To the east the Rocca di Manerba, the famous Isola del Garda, Salò and its villas and D’Annunzio’s Vittoriale, and then up to beautiful Gargnano.

To the west a short distance away are Gardaland and Caneva Aquapark, followed by Lazise, Punta San Vigilio and Bardolino.