Grotte di Catullo e Museo archeologico di Sirmione

About the museum

The Grotte di Catullo are the remains of a vast Roman villa of residential character, built between the late 1st century BC and the early 1st century AD at the tip of the Sirmione peninsula, on Lake Garda. The complex covers about 20,000 square metres and is laid out on three levels; the upper level is the most damaged. The owner of the ancient villa is not known: the link with the poet Catullus is a tradition that arose in the 16th century.

The name “grotte” (caves) derives from the appearance the ruins had in the Renaissance, when they were buried under earth and vegetation and the rooms looked like caverns. After the building was abandoned in the 3rd century AD, a necropolis was laid out in the area. Today the site, set among an olive grove, is visited along routes through rooms, terraces and the large central peristyle garden, with wide views over the lake.

At the entrance is the archaeological museum (antiquarium), which gathers materials from the villa and from the territory of Sirmione: mosaics, bronze and ceramic objects, fragments of stucco and frescoes, the head of one of the Dioscuri, as well as finds from the Roman age, from the pile-dwelling sites and from the medieval period.

Highlights

• Large Roman villa on three levels of about 20,000 m²
• Olive grove and views of Lake Garda from the terraces
• Archaeological museum with mosaics, stucco and fragments of frescoes
• Head of one of the Dioscuri
• Finds from the pile-dwelling sites and the medieval period

Permanent exhibitions

• Area archeologica della villa romana – Remains of the large three-level Roman villa, with rooms, terraces and peristyle, set in an olive grove by the lake.
• Museo archeologico – Mosaics, bronzes, ceramics, stucco and fragments of frescoes from the villa, with finds from the Roman, pile-dwelling and medieval periods.

Operated by

Direzione regionale Musei nazionali Lombardia

Visitors per year

approx. 268,320

Admission & discounts

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

The entrance is at the tip of the Sirmione peninsula, about 1 km from the car park by the Castello Scaligero; it can be reached on foot or, in summer, by the electric little train from the Terme.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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Plan your visit