Sirmione

For the Australian racehorse, see Sirmione (horse).

Sirmione
Comune
Comune di Sirmione
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Sirmione Location of Sirmione in Italy
Coordinates:
Country	Italy
Region	Lombardy
Province / Metropolitan city	Brescia (BS)
Frazioni	Colombare di Sirmione, Lugana, Rovizza
Government
• Mayor	Alessandro Mattinzoli
Area
• Total	33 km2 (13 sq mi)
Elevation	68 m (223 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	8,230
• Density	250/km2 (650/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Sirmionesi
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	25019, 25010
Dialing code	030
Website	Official website

Sirmione is a comune in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy (northern Italy). It is bounded by the comunes of Desenzano del Garda (Lombardy) and Peschiera del Garda in the province of Verona and the region of Veneto. It has a historical centre which is located on the Sirmio peninsula that divides the lower part of Lake Garda.

History

The first traces of human presence in the area of Sirmione dates from the 6th-5th millennia BC. Settlements on palafitte existed in the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC.

File:Lake Garda Sirmione map.jpg

Map showing position of Sirmione on Lake Garda.

Starting from the 1st century BC, the area of the Garda, including what is now Sirmione, became a favourite resort for rich families coming from Verona, then the main Roman city in north-eastern Italy. The poet Catullus praised the beauties of the city and spoke of a villa he had in the area.

In the late Roman era (4th-5th centuries AD) the city became a fortified strongpoint defending the southern shore of the lake. A settlement existed also after the Lombard conquest of northern Italy: in the late years of the Lombard kingdom, the city was capital of a judiciary district directly subordinated to the king. Ansa, wife of King Desiderius, founded a monastery and a church in the city.

Around the year 1000 Sirmione was probably a free comune, but fell in the hands of the Scaliger in the early 13th century. Mastino I della Scala was probably the founder of the castle. In the same period Sirmione was refuge for Patarines hereticals. The military role of the city continued until the 16th century, but a garrison remained in the castle until the 19th century.

Sirmione was a possession of the Republic of Venice from 1405 until 1797, when it was acquired by the Habsburg Empire. It became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1860.

Main sights

The main historical landmark of Sirmione is the so-called Grottoes of Catullus (Grotte di Catullo), the most striking example of a Roman private edifice discovered in northern Italy. The edifice had a rectangular plan and measured 167 x 105 m. The town is famous for its thermal springs.

Other sights include:

• The Scaliger Castle (13th century). This is a rare example of medieval port fortification, which was used by the Scaliger fleet. The building of this complex started in 1277 by Mastino della Scala. It presents the typical Ghibelline swallowtail merlons and the curtain-walls (with three corner towers) in pebbles alternating with two horizontal bands of brick courses. The walls on the inside were finished with plaster with graffiti, simulating blocks of stone. The castle stands at a strategic place at the entrance to the peninsula. It is surrounded by a moat and it can only be entered by two drawbridges. The caste was established mainly as a protection against enemies, but also against the locals. The main room houses a small museum with local finds from the Roman era and a few medieval artifacts.
• The small church Sant’Anna della Rocca, next to the castle. It dates from the 12th century and was used mainly by the garrison and the few local villagers. The frescoes in the church date from the 14th - 17th century.
• The church of San Pietro in Mavino, built in Lombard times (A.D. 765) but renovated in the early 14th century. At the portal one can see a brick wall with the date 1320. It is secluded from the town and is situated on the hill. The term "mavino" refers to the Latin phrase "in summas vineas" (up in the vineyards). The church has a rectangular plan and is oriented east-west. The cancel contains three apses. The one in the middle shows a Christ Pantocrator in Byzantine tradition; the one on the left a Madonna Enthroned; the one on the right a Crucifixion. The ceiling is made of wooden beams. The church containss frescoes from the 12th-16th centuries. The Romanesque bell tower dates from 1070. The church has been used in the past as a military hospital and its surroundings as a cemetery for plague victims.
• The church Santa Maria Maggiore (late 15th century) is located in the town centre. It stands on the site of the former Lombard church of San Martino (second half of the 8th century). It has a rectangular shape with a polygonal apse and is oriented east-west. It has a single nave, divided by three arches. It is decorated with early 15th-century frescoes. The frescoes at the bottom of the north wall even belong to an earlier period. The contemporary wooden statue of the Madonna Enthroned is also of special interest.

World heritage site

The prehistoric settlement at Lugana Vecchia is part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Notable people

• The poet Gaius Valerius Catullus lived in the 1st century BC. His family owned a villa in Sirmione.
• Alfred Tennyson described in a poem his impressions of Sirmione in the summer of 1880.
• Italian writers who wrote about Sirmione include Giosuè Carducci, Antonio Fogazzaro and Gabriele D'Annunzio.
• Ezra Pound and James Joyce met in the city in 1920.
• Maria Callas had a villa in Sirmione.
• English writer Naomi Jacob lived in Sirmione until her death in 1964. A small plaque in Sirmione commemorates her.

Media Gallery

• Sirmione old town.jpg

  Sirmione old town

• Sirmione port.jpg

  Sirmione port

• SirmioneFromScaligerCastle.JPG

  View of Sirmione from the castle

• Sirmione grotte di catullo 1.jpg

  Grotte di Catullo

• Sirmione san pietro in mavino.jpg

  The church San Pietro in Mavino

• Sirmione Castello Scaligero um 1900.jpg

  Sirmione Castle around 1900

• 

  The Scaliger insignia on the Sirmione Castle

External links

• Sirmione Tourist Guide
• Sirmione the Lake Garda Pearl - Sirmione tourist information
• Sirmione Wedding - Guide on wedding planning in Sirmione