Sirmione: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Sirmione hangs off the south shore of Lake Garda on a strip of land four kilometres long, so narrow at its root that a castle closes it like a gate. Inside are the old village, olive groves, a medieval church and, at the very tip, the ruins of the largest Roman villa in northern Italy. This walk goes from the castle to the tip and back by the other shore, about three hours with visits. Park outside the old town, go early or late in summer — the lanes fill by eleven — and bring a swimsuit for the rocks.
A short history of Sirmione
Sirmione sits at the tip of a narrow strip of land that reaches about 4 kilometres into Lake Garda. The Romans called it Sirmio, and the poet Catullus, who lived in the 1st century BC, wrote a love poem to it as his home. At the end of the peninsula lie the remains of a huge Roman villa known as the "Grottoes of Catullus", although there is no proof that it was his. In the 8th century Ansa, wife of the Lombard king Desiderius, founded a monastery here. In the 13th century the Scaligeri, the rulers of Verona, built the moated castle at the entrance to the town, and its bridge gate is still the only way in. In 1889 a diver named Procopio managed to channel the hot Boiola spring from the lake bed to the shore, and Sirmione has been a spa town ever since.
The ten best sights in Sirmione
-
1Scaliger Castle
Cars stop before the drawbridge; park outside the old town, it is a pedestrian zone
-
2Grotte di Catullo
A 20-minute walk from the castle to the tip; a little train runs in summer
-
3San Pietro in Mavino
Up a lane among the olives; usually empty, with medieval frescoes
4Santa Maria della NeveOne of the portico's columns is a reused Roman one; find it
-
5Villa Callas
Seen from the lakeside path only; it is a private house
6Jamaica BeachFlat white rock slabs in clear water; bring water shoes, the rock is slippery
7Aquaria Thermal SpaWarm outdoor pools facing the lake; book an evening slot in summer
8San Martino della Battaglia TowerClimb the ramp inside the tower for the view over the whole southern lake
9Solferino OssuaryThousands of skulls behind glass; not for small children
-
10Roman Villa of Desenzano
Late Roman mosaic floors in the middle of town; an hour at most
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Sirmione →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Sirmione:
Free walking tours in Sirmione
The peninsula on foot
Sirmione hangs off the south shore of Lake Garda on a strip of land four kilometres long, so narrow at its root that a castle closes it like a gate. Inside are the old village, olive groves, a medieval church and, at the very tip, the ruins of the largest Roman villa in northern Italy. This walk goes from the castle to the tip and back by the other shore, about three hours with visits. Park outside the old town, go early or late in summer — the lanes fill by eleven — and bring a swimsuit for the rocks.
- Scaliger Castle · The della Scala lords of Verona built it in the 13th century to guard the lake. Its walled harbour, added in the 14th century, is one of the very few fortified docks of its kind to survive in Europe.
- Santa Maria della Neve · The parish church was built in the 15th century just inside the castle gate. Its portico reuses a Roman column, one of many stones from the villa at the tip that ended up in the village's walls.
- Villa Callas · Maria Callas spent summers here in the 1950s with her husband Giovanni Battista Meneghini, before she left him for Aristotle Onassis. The villa is still private, and the lakeside path below it is the only way to see it.
- Grotte di Catullo · The poet Catullus called Sirmio the jewel of peninsulas and islands, and tradition gave him this villa, though it was built after his death, around the turn of the 1st century AD. The ruins were called grottoes because Renaissance visitors found the collapsed vaults overgrown like caves.
- Jamaica Beach · The pale slabs are the same limestone the peninsula is made of, lying just under the surface so the water over them looks Caribbean. The bottom drops suddenly at the edge, so weak swimmers should stay on the shelf.
- San Pietro in Mavino · The oldest church on the peninsula, first built in the 8th century under the Lombards and rebuilt in 1320. Its walls carry frescoes from the 12th to the 16th centuries, and the bell tower is said to reuse stones from the Roman villa.
The battlefields of 1859
On 24 June 1859 the hills just south of Sirmione saw one of the bloodiest days of the 19th century: French and Piedmontese armies against the Austrians, at Solferino and San Martino, with close to 300,000 men on the field. The victory opened the way to a united Italy, and the slaughter led a Swiss businessman to found the Red Cross. This route drives through the battlefield and on to the river towns and gardens of the Mincio. Half a day to a day by car; the ossuaries are sobering, so judge what children can take.
- San Martino della Battaglia Tower · The 74-metre tower was finished in 1893 in memory of the wars of Italian unification. A spiral ramp inside, not stairs, climbs past painted halls of the battles to the top.
- Solferino Ossuary · The chapel holds the bones of thousands of soldiers of both sides, the skulls stacked behind glass. Henri Dunant came on the battlefield the day after, organised help for the wounded, and his book A Memory of Solferino led to the founding of the Red Cross in 1863.
- Borghetto sul Mincio · The Visconti bridge above the village, a fortified dam over 600 metres long, was built in 1393 to cut off the river and starve Mantua of water. In June the town of Valeggio lays one long table across it for the feast of the tortellini, the nodo d'amore.
- Sigurtà Garden Park · The industrialist Carlo Sigurtà bought the estate in 1941 and spent decades watering it with the right to draw from the Mincio. In spring about a million tulips flower here, one of the largest displays in Europe.
- Peschiera del Garda fortress · Peschiera sits where the Mincio leaves the lake, and Venice ringed it with star-shaped bastions in the 16th century. In 2017 UNESCO listed the walls among the Venetian works of defence, together with Bergamo and Palmanova.
- Lazise · Its walls and Scaliger castle are among the best kept on the lake, and the old customs house on the harbour recalls that Lazise was Venice's toll point on Garda. Under Venice the town also had the right to self-government, often called the first free commune of Italy.
Hot water, white wine and the west shore
The south end of Lake Garda is a soft landscape of vines and olives, warm enough for lemon trees because the lake holds the heat. Sirmione adds its own oddity: hot sulphur water that rises from the lake bed off the peninsula. This route goes from the spring to the vineyards of Lugana, then west along the shore to Salò and the extravagant house of Gabriele D'Annunzio. A day by car; book the Vittoriale house tour and the winery ahead.
- Boiola Spring · The spring rises from the lake bed about 300 metres off the shore at nearly 70 degrees. In 1889 a Venetian diver, Procopio, managed to cap it with a pipe, and the spa town of Sirmione grew from that.
- Cà dei Frati winery · Lugana is made from the Turbiana grape on the clay plain between Sirmione and Desenzano, and it became one of Italy's first DOC wines in 1967. Cà dei Frati, run by the Dal Cero family, is one of the names that made it known.
- Roman Villa of Desenzano · The villa was a grand lakeside residence of late antiquity, and its 4th-century mosaics of hunting scenes and cupids are among the finest in northern Italy. It was found only in 1921, during building work.
- Desenzano Castle · The castle on the hill above the harbour was a refuge where the townspeople could shelter from raiders, with rows of small houses inside the walls. Its towers give the widest view over the southern lake.
- Salò · From 1943 to 1945 this quiet lake town gave its name to Mussolini's puppet state under German control, the Republic of Salò, whose ministries were spread among the villas of the shore. Today its long lakeside promenade is the evening walk of the west shore.
- Vittoriale degli Italiani · The poet Gabriele D'Annunzio filled this estate with thousands of objects and, in the garden, set the bow of the cruiser Puglia into the hillside. In the auditorium hangs the plane he flew over Vienna in 1918 to drop leaflets.
Getting to Sirmione and getting around
- Verona Villafranca Airport · About 30 minutes away; the closest airport to the south of the lake
- Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione Station · Sirmione has no station; trains on the Milan-Venice line stop here, 15 minutes away
- Sirmione harbour · Lake boats to Desenzano, Garda and Riva; leave the car and see the shore from the water
Cheap eats in Sirmione
The south of Lake Garda eats from the lake and the plain: lake fish such as whitefish and the rare carpione, risotto with tench, and olive oil from the groves along the shore. Sirmione's old town is small and touristy, so quick food means a slice, a piadina or a gelato eaten walking along the walls. For something better at a fair price, the trattorie of Desenzano and the Lugana countryside are a short drive away.
- Cremeria Bulian · Gelato on the main street; two scoops about 3.50-4 euros
- Gelateria Valentino · Gelato by the castle; a cone about 3-4 euros
- Piadineria Sirmione · Folded flatbread with ham and cheese to eat on the walls, about 6-9 euros
- Panificio Franzini · Local bakery at the base of the peninsula; focaccia and pastries about 2-4 euros
- Pizzeria Valentino · A quick pizza by the little harbour, about 9-14 euros
- Desenzano market · Tuesday mornings; a porchetta roll about 5-6 euros
Museums in Sirmione
- Grotte di Catullo and Museum · Roman ruins among olive trees; the museum at the entrance explains the plan
- Roman Villa of Desenzano · Late Roman mosaics, ten minutes' drive from Sirmione
- Vittoriale degli Italiani · The poet's house, a warship in the garden and a museum; half a day
- San Martino della Battaglia Tower · Battle frescoes inside, a view from the top
- Solferino museum and ossuary · Uniforms and weapons of 1859; the Red Cross memorial is nearby
Nature and day trips near Sirmione
- Jamaica Beach · Clear water over white rock; best on a weekday morning
- Sigurtà Garden Park · Tulips in April, roses in May, and a maze all year
- Borghetto sul Mincio · Mill wheels and a river walk under the bridge
- Laghetto del Frassino · A quiet nature reserve; bring binoculars
- Boiola Spring · Look for the bubbles on the water off the eastern shore
Things to do in Sirmione with kids
- Gardaland · A full day; tickets online are cheaper
- Movieland and Caneva Aquapark · Stunt shows and water slides near Lazise, in summer
- Scaliger Castle · Battlements and a tower to climb; an hour
- Sigurtà maze · Rent a golf cart and find the centre of the maze
- Lake ferry · A short boat ride to Desenzano is a treat for small ones
Where to eat in Sirmione
- La Rucola 2.0 · The special night out; book well ahead
- Osteria al Torcol · Wine bar and small kitchen; Lugana by the glass
- Trattoria La Fiasca · Old-town trattoria for lake fish and pasta; book in summer
- Esplanade, Desenzano · Lakeside fine dining, ten minutes' drive
- Cà dei Frati tasting · Lugana tasting before dinner; book ahead
Frequently asked questions about Sirmione
What is there to see in Sirmione?
The top sights in Sirmione are Scaliger Castle, Grotte di Catullo and San Pietro in Mavino. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Sirmione?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Sirmione without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Sirmione?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Sirmione, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The peninsula on foot.
How do you get to Sirmione and get around?
The main ways are Verona Villafranca Airport, Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione Station and Sirmione harbour. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Sirmione, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Sirmione that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Sirmione for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.