Sirmione

"Salve, o venusta Sirmione....", the verses of Catullus roll like wawes: he loved and sang of Sirmione as "the gem of all the penisulas". The details have faded away in the wake of time, but the Roman poet's spirit still lives in Catullus' Villa and Catullus' Grotte, the original purpose of which is a secret of lake Garda. The eventful history of the Penisula has had many hights and lows, but Sirmione has never lost its magic. Be they Romans or Cimbrians, Goths or Avars, Scaligers or Venetians, all where touched by its fabulous charm. The island just out on Lake Garda like an arm and the water mirrors its luminous image. Not only Catullus, but also Caesaris is said to have stayed here. In the 8th Century, the Longobards built a convent, Dante came looking for inspiration, Carducci and Boito spent meaningful hours here..... The Romans had built two castles, two harbours, a settlement and the gigantic villa that rises on rocks and powerfully towers on the lake. On the fundations of the old eastern harbour, the Scaligers later built their famous fortress: a charming, graceful yet strong and imposing bultwark, one of the most beautiful buildings in the word. The numerous villas, churches such as Santa Maria Maggiore's and San Pietro in Mavino's, the wonderful frescoes, unique portals, belfries, battlements, arches and columns, the hamlets of Lugana and Colombare, wich like inviting gardens lead to the centre of the town, all are slats of the fan known as Sirmione. Sirmione, however, is something more..... Sirmione, spa and resort, spirit and culture, restaurants and refind discotheques, thermal baths and outstanding hotels, gastronomy and pizza, excellent wine, markets and fashion shops, the International Academy for Literature, Lunapark and Gardaland - a child's paradise - the meeting point of tradition and future.... Sirmione Italy on the Lake Garda. Here one finds and meets others. Sirmione is simple and complex, young and old, full of life and movemeunt but also silent and contemplative, the Eldorado of water sports and a dreamy village in the twilight. Contrasts. Sirmione is like a fan with many slats, but it remains unique in its essence. Sirmione - a forum for conferences and for exchanging ideas - a place for sports, active live, rest, a plece of wine, silence, culture.

A symphony of leisure, tradition and health. Sirmione where contrasts meet..... August 1889. A diver came from Venice to lay pipes on Lake Garda's cracked, clayish bottom. The sulphureous spring, which gushed out at 70°C from the depths of the lake, far from Sirmione, was connected to the town. The healing force of the spring water gave confort and relief to thousands. Today, Sirmione's spa is an oasis of health and beauty. Inhalations, mud baths and various kinds of massages and under-water massages, specialistic centres for curing rhinogen deafness, for diagnosing bronchopneumopathies and for respiratory rehabilitation, a thermal pool with motorial rehabilitation and many other things are available in two very modern establishements named after two great poets, Catullus and Vergil. Sirmione's spa owes its international renown to the permanent medical assistance, available from specialists of the various medical branches. An ideal location. Which other place is free from through traffic and yet linked to the main motorways? Sirmione. Just look around you.