Grotte di Catullo, Roman villa ruins in Sirmione, Italy
Grotte di Catullo is a Roman villa site at the northern tip of the Sirmione peninsula on Lake Garda. The ruins reveal the remains of a large residence with preserved foundations, columns, and arches that demonstrate its former grandeur.
The residence was built during the first century under Roman rule and abandoned after several centuries. Its decline reflects changing living conditions at the lake over time.
The archaeological museum in the park displays artifacts from Roman villas around Lake Garda. These objects show how wealthy Romans lived at this lakeside location.
Visitors can walk through marked paths among the remains and read information panels explaining the construction. The best views of the lake and preserved ruins are found in the higher areas of the site.
The name comes from 15th-century visitors who mistook the overgrown, partially buried ruins for caves. They later connected this assumption to the Roman poet Catullus, believed to have lived in the area.
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Italy holds archaeological sites spanning several millennia, offering insights into Etruscan, Greek and Roman civilizations. These locations include necropolises with thousands of tombs, well-preserved Roman villas and ancient settlements along the Mediterranean coast. Many of these sites lie beyond...
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