Explore one of the region’s main landmarks, Grotte di Catullo, the most striking example of a private Roman edifice discovered in this part of the country. The site, built on a rectangular plan over previously abandoned structures, is a ruin of a three-story villa erected around the year 150 CE. Contrary to its name, this is neither a grotto, nor is it likely to have ever belonged to the famed poet Catullus. The owners were a local wealthy family that often hosted the distinguished poet, which is probably where the name comes from. Near the entrance into the site you can visit a small museum, which houses numerous items found in the villa, including fragments of frescoes, mosaic tiles, ceramics, and coins. To visit Grotte di Catullo on your holiday in Sirmione, and find out what else Sirmione has to offer, use our Sirmione.
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Grotte di Catullo reviews
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During the pandemic, my wife and I binge-watched Time Team, a BBC program looking at archeological digs in Great Britain. So when we went to Sirmione we knew we wanted to go see the ruins there...
During the pandemic, my wife and I binge-watched Time Team, a BBC program looking at archeological digs in Great Britain. So when we went to Sirmione we knew we wanted to go see the ruins there... more »
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We saw the ruins from the outside from the beach area and to be fair doesn't look that much but we were staying close by so decided to go in. We chose early morning which was a result as no queue...
We saw the ruins from the outside from the beach area and to be fair doesn't look that much but we were staying close by so decided to go in. We chose early morning which was a result as no queue... more »
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Lovely ancient roman villa ruins. Plenty of information signs around the ruins. Disabled and buggy access only for the top of the ruins. So we had to carry the buggy up and down the rest of the ruins. (understandable the ruins weren't built with modern day tourists in mind). It would be nice to have some printed tour guide/leaflets again. The qr code for downloadable guides is a good idea but unfortunately the 3g isn't strong there so our phones could never load the guide while we were there. Also if you visit in the middle of the day, bear in mind that there is very little shade around most of the ruins.
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Impressive historical site! Takes about 30min from the castle to get there. It’s mostly outdoors, not a lot of shade, bring lots of water, they don’t sell any at the museum. Good idea is to bring your swimsuit and go to the beach right after .
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