"Do you know the country where lemons bloom?" said Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, referring to Lake Garda. A lake that has no equal, around which lush citrus fruits, olive trees and vines grow. An enclave with a Mediterranean climate, surrounded by breathtaking views and enchanting villages.
Descending from the north along the western shore, the lake culminates in a long strip of land, bathed by water on both sides: it is Sirmione, "flower of the peninsulas and islands", as Catullus wrote. The town is famous for the Grotte named after him, but it was the home of choice for other important figures who marked the cultural and social life of the 20th century.
The presence of Maria Callas, who lived at Villa Meneghini, and that of Ezra Pound, who wrote to James Joyce from here to come and visit him, made it a place for "very important people".
VILLA CORTINE PALACE HOTEL IN SIRMIONE
The epicenter of the Garda sweet life has always been the Villa Cortine Palace Hotel.
The historic imposing neoclassical building took on its current appearance at the end of the 19th century, thanks to the renovation commissioned by Count Von Koseritz. In 1953 the Villa became a luxury hotel and was expanded, creating what is now the main body of the hotel.
Stretching out to touch the lake, surrounded by a centuries-old park, the Villa is located a short distance from the renowned Jamaica beach, a small Caribbean-coloured bay. But the boast and pride of the Villa Cortine Palace Hotel is its immense five-hectare centuries-old park, which envelops it entirely in a vortex of scents and sensations. Here, on the gentle slope of the hill, an exciting journey of the senses unfolds among majestic conifers and tall palm trees, Mediterranean vegetation and flowering bushes, fountains and pools of water, neoclassical statues and natural balconies that open up to sensational views of the lake.
THE ROMAN VILLA OR “GROTTE DI CATULLO”
The ancient Romans already showed that they appreciated the extraordinary beauty of these places, building the vast and luxurious Roman villa, known since the Renaissance as Grotte di Catullo (“Catullus’ Grottoes”).
Located at the end of the Sirmione peninsula, the Roman villa enjoys an exceptional panoramic position. The visit to the archaeological area offers the possibility to choose between different routes, freely orienting yourself among the imposing remains and the historic olive grove, with plants up to 400-500 years old.
The view from the lake is unmissable, aboard a yacht, from which you can also observe the intense activity of the hot and sulphurous thermal spring, which bubbles from the lakebed 250 meters from the eastern shore.
