Grotte di Catullo e Museo Archeologico di Sirmione

This imposing site, besides being the most relevant Roman-era evidence in the Sirmione area, is considered the’grandest example of a Roman villa found in northern Italy. Recent studies and surveys have provided new and valuable indications on the layout and chronology of the construction phases: the complex, only partially brought to light, originally extended over an area of more than 20,000 square metres.

The large villa dates back to’Augustan age (late 1st century BC - early 1st century AD) and was built on top of the structures of a pre-existing building. We do not know the exact causes of its decline; however, the reuse of some of the portico capitals in the so-called “Villa di Via Antiche Mura” suggests that at the end of the 3rd century A.D. the complex was already in a state of disrepair, perhaps as a result of a fire devastating.

Architecture and Structure

For the building it was necessary to reshape the rocky bank of the peninsula. In order to overcome the differences in height and to ensure the sheer drop to the lake, imposing substitutions (foundations) on two floors:

• Service rooms: Most of the lower rooms were used for logistical functions.
• Elegant spaces: Some rooms, with a spectacular view of Lake Garda, were reserved for the owner's family.
• Cryptoporticus: A double corridor, partially excavated in the rock, ran along the western side allowing the dominus of walking sheltered from the weather or the summer sun.

The upper floor, intended for actual living, is today the least preserved part. It developed around a vast garden-peristyle approximately 4,000 square metres, surrounded by porticoes and terraces culminating, to the north, in a scenic belvedere terrace of 1,400 square metres. In the southern sector was the area of the spa, with a large heated pool added between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD.

The Archaeological Museum

Situated near the entrance, the Museum preserves the thousand-year history of Sirmione and Garda:

• Prehistoric finds: Objects from the submerged stilts (sites of San Francesco, Lugana Vecchia, etc.).
• Roman and Medieval Ages: Witness the building in Via Antiche Mura, the churches of San Pietro in Mavinas and San Salvatore, and the Longobard necropolis of the Cortine hill.
• Decorations: The splendid fragments of frescoes, stuccoes and architectural decorations that once graced the rooms of the Grotte di Catullo.

The exhibition also offers an overview of other Benaco settlements, giving the visitor a complete picture of ancient life around the Lake Garda.