Sirmione

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Sirmione
coat of arms
Sirmione (Italy)
Sirmione
Country Italy
region Lombardy
province Brescia  (BS)
Local name Sirmiù
Coordinates 45 ° 30 '  N , 10 ° 36'  E Coordinates: 45 ° 29 '33 "  N , 10 ° 36' 30"  E
height 68  m slm
surface 33 km²
Residents 8,336 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density 253 inhabitants / km²
Post Code 25019, 25010 Colombare di Sirmione
prefix 030
ISTAT number 017179
Website Sirmione
View of Sirmione from the Scaliger Castle
View of Sirmione from the Scaliger Castle

Sirmione is an Italian town with 8336 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2019). It is located on the south shore of Lake Garda . The historic center of the village is located on a peninsula that protrudes into the lake. Sirmione belongs to the province of Brescia in the Italian region of Lombardy .

Geography, climate and vegetation

The tip of the land on which Sirmione is located has the shape of a triangle with the largest side of 1250 m and a width of 750 m and consists of three hills: "Cortine", "San Pietro in Mavino" and the "Grottoes of Catullus".

The climate in Sirmione is mild, like everywhere on Lake Garda, not least due to a thermal spring in the immediate vicinity of Sirmione in Lake Garda , the water of which is rich in sulfur , bromine and iodine . The summers on Lake Garda are warm but not too hot and the winters are mild with little rain.

In ancient times, the southern shore of Lake Garda was covered with a thick forest. Today the vegetation is Mediterranean and consists largely of olive trees .

history

The history of the peninsula goes back to the Stone Age in the 2nd millennium BC. BC back. Already in the 17th century BC BC settlements of pile dwellings emerged in the shallow water , stretching from Salò to Garda . Gradually the mainland was also settled, although there is no documentation of the settlement before the Roman era . It is believed that settlements emerged very early on the peninsula thanks to its unique, protective shape.

At the time of the Romans, the peninsula was a resort for high-ranking families. Of the three villas that were built during this time, only the "Grottoes of Catullus" on the last of the three hills are preserved today. The poet Gaius Valerius Catullus , who in the 1st century BC He lived in Rome and visited this place occasionally, giving the villa its name.

Sirmione gained great importance due to its location on important traffic routes. In the “ Itinerarium Antonini ”, a directory of the Roman imperial roads from the 3rd century, the existence of a place where travelers could stop is already mentioned, the “mansino Sermione”, which was in the middle of the road between Brescia and Verona .

Under the rule of the Lombards , who spread across northern Italy in 568 , various monasteries and churches were built, almost nothing of which has survived today.

After the events of the Inquisition in southern France in the 1250s, the surviving Cathars and Patarins withdrew to northern Italy. They were able to keep the Sirmione fortress as a final refuge. In the 13th century, the della Scala family extended their territory to Lake Garda and took over government in Verona and Sirmione in 1262. In 1276 Mastino I della Scala took action against the deeply religious Patarins, who were outraged by the wealth and power of the Church. The castle was taken and by those who already in 1244 Montsegur had suffered, were 200 left, which two years later than heretics on the stake in the Arena of Verona were burned.

The Roman fortifications were rebuilt and expanded under the Scaligians and during the rule of the Venetians .

Attractions

The old town of Sirmione is characterized by narrow streets and quiet squares, in which the visitor will find numerous boutiques and antique shops, cafes and restaurants.

Scaliger Castle (Castello Scaligero)

Scaliger Castle in Sirmione

The Scaligerburg with a large harbor basin and a circular wall closes the town off from the mainland. At the request of the city lord of Verona, Mastino I della Scala , the Scaligans built the fortified castle with the typical swallowtail pinnacles on the first of the three hills from the old Roman fort in Sirmione in the 13th century (from 1259) , which is located directly on the water and protected the port of the Lake Garda fleet. It served primarily for the defense and demonstration of power of the Scaliger and shapes the image of Sirmione today. The only way to get into the castle is via a drawbridge over the deep moat through a portal with the coat of arms of the Scaliger (a ladder) and the Venetian (winged lion), from which you could control access to the village. Loopholes show how the castle soldiers controlled the way to Sirmione from here. During a tour of the battlements and the corner towers, the visitor can get an idea of ​​the sophisticated defense system made up of thick walls, stairs and drawbridges. The castle offers a view of the port of Sirmione, which was also built by the Scaligers. The 47 meter high Mastino tower in the large courtyard was the armory and main building of the military installation in the Middle Ages.

Santa Maria Maggiore

Away from the lively center, through narrow medieval streets , you get to the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, which dates back to the 15th century and was built on the site of its Lombard predecessor. The exterior is simple, except for a portico in front of the west facade , in which, among other things, a column from Roman times can be found. Inside are wood carvings from the 16th century and frescoes from the 15th century. The main altar is decorated with marble work from the 18th century.

San Pietro in Mavino

The church of San Pietro in Mavino rises on the second hill of Sirmione. Its origins go back to the 8th century. It stands on the foundation of a Roman temple outside the village. The church is surrounded by olive groves and cypress trees . Inside there are frescoes from the 12th to 16th centuries.

Grottoes of Catullus ( Grotte di Catullo )

The Catullus Grottoes

On the last of the three hills, not far from the church of San Pietro, are the remains of a Roman villa, called "Grottoes of Catullus", which cover an area of ​​two hectares and form the most important archaeological site in Northern Italy.

The name of the ruins is misleading as it is neither a cave nor a place where Catullus lived. The poet Catullus (85–54 BC) lived in Verona and visited the place from time to time in order to find peace and relaxation here. In his verses (" Salve o venusta Sirmio " - "Greetings, you lovely Sirmione") he sang about the beauty of the place. In fact, the villa was not built until after Catullus death (around 150 AD). After the partial excavation, it was found that it was probably an ancient sanatorium with a thermal bath . The villa probably collapsed in the 4th century. The finds exhibited in a small museum at the entrance of the villa indicate that the villa was once endowed with great splendor. From this villa, which is surrounded by olive groves, nothing has been preserved, except for the huge retaining walls under the villa itself and some outbuildings.

Catullus Thermal Baths (Terme di Catullo)

The water of Sirmione is rich in sulfur , bromine and iodine and is hyperthermic. It rises in the basin of Monte Baldo in Veneto at an altitude of 2200 m, from where the water reaches the springs of Boiola , Virgilio and Catullo with a temperature of 69 ° C. The Romans already knew and used the healing properties of the warm water that springs from the bottom of Lake Garda. At the end of the 19th century, a boy discovered the Roman lead pipes, which run at a depth of 18 m and supplied the thermal bath in the Catullus caves with warm water. In 1889, a Venetian diver finally managed to lay pipes in a crevice that would bring the warm water to the mainland. The Therapy Center "Thermal Baths of Catullus" (Terme di Catullo) could be built. The thermal water is used to alleviate certain forms of hearing loss , but also to treat skin diseases , rheumatism and diseases of the respiratory tract.

Economy and tourism

Today Sirmione has gained importance as an upscale holiday resort with its numerous hotels and other holiday accommodations, restaurants and shops with a wide range of offers. Excursion tourism, in the form of thousands of day trippers, has the place firmly under control all year round. With its state-of-the-art spa facilities, Sirmione has the largest private thermal center in Italy.

Personalities

literature

Web links

Commons : Sirmione  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Statistiche demografiche ISTAT. Monthly population statistics of the Istituto Nazionale di Statistica , as of December 31 of 2019.
  2. ↑ Baedeker travel guide Gardasee, Verona , Baedeker Verlag Ostfildern, 5th edition 2005, ISBN 3-8297-1031-3