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Home » Country » Visiting Sirmione by Car and Le Grotte di Catullo Roman Ruins on Lake Garda

Visiting Sirmione by Car and Le Grotte di Catullo Roman Ruins on Lake Garda

July 29th, 2018 | 28 Comments

Visiting Sirmione by car is not easy. Find out what you need to know about taking a car to this medieval town on Lake Garda. In addition, learn about one of Sirmione’s most beautiful features: Le Grotte di Catullo.

Sirmione castle entrance

After leaving Venice (I won a trip with Valdo Prosecco), I decided I’d surprise my mother. I was taking her for a one night stay in Sirmione del Garda! If you have been following for any length of time, you’ll already know that I LOVE surprises. (As long as I’m giving them).

This is NOT a sponsored post. I paid for my own car rental, hotel stay, meals and entrance to the archaeological park.

Venice from our water taxi
Water taxi to pick up our rental car in Venice.

We picked up our car in Venice, which I’d rented through Auto Europe, as usual (not sponsored).  The pick up went rather smoothly, except for an off-duty police officer yelling at me to move the rental car as it was parked in his spot. I explained to him that I had not parked the car there, nor yet rented it.

I suggested that he speak to the rental company guys, but he just didn’t understand me. All he wanted was his parking space as he saw me next to the car with our luggage. 😂To be honest, he was justified as the rental car company was parking cars in the reserved spaces for the police station! In the end it was fine, but this is the type of thing to be prepared for when visiting “Bella Italia”!

Verona

On our way to Sirmione, we stopped in Verona. Mum thought that we might have visited many years ago on one of our trips from Scotland to Italy, but she wasn’t sure. It was over 40 years ago, and she was dealing with three kids in a car (with no seat belts), for 3 days, so I understand why she might not remember!

I loved the approach into this famous city!

Entrance to the city of Verona

We parked and began to explore. Luckily we were right in the city center. I had asked someone for directions once we came off the autostrada, and in true Italian form, the directions were, “sempre diritto” (always straight)! Honestly, ask an Italian directions anytime, anywhere and I can almost guarantee at some point you will hear, “sempre diritto”! It’s so funny!

Panorama of Verona

The central part of Verona is almost all car-free. The Piazza delle Erbe is surrounded by lots of restaurants, which are mostly geared for tourists. Just remember, whenever you are in a spot with a view of something famous, (like the Verona Arena) you’ll pay for that view. You’ll also probably not receive the value for your Euros because touristy places use less than top-quality products to make even more money. Many of the dishes won’t even be authentically Italian, and much less, regional. So my suggestion is to keep on walking.

Speaking of the Verona Arena, you simply cannot miss it. It’s massive,  as well as a stunning piece of Roman history.

Verona arena, Italy

The Arena Opera Festival is on during the summer, and I would have loved to go to my first opera here (yes, it’s true, I’ve just never been to an opera)! However, there’s just never enough time to do everything you want to do on a trip, right?

Verona arena collage

We walked further into to town to find Juliet’s balcony. I wondered how this building had the connection to Shakespeare’s Juliet, and discovered that the archway of the courtyard displays the coat of arms of the “Dal Cappello” family. The “Cappelletti”, or in English, the Capulets; Juliet’s family name! The 13th century building has been renovated more recently.  You can see the balcony where Juliet spoke to her beloved Romeo.

Juliet's balcony, Verona

Even though we were only in Verona for a few hours, I loved this city! I could easily have spent a few days there. However, we were off to Sirmione as I’d booked a hotel there for the night. Incidentally, Verona to Sirmione by car is only 40 minutes.

I had chosen to stay inside the walls of the town’s fortress which I knew meant driving into the 13th century town. The castle itself is called Rocca Scaligera and is one of the most impressive, well preserved, and beautiful castles I have ever seen. Before driving through the castle entrance, there is a checkpoint as only tourists with reservations are allowed to enter to drop off luggage.

Sirmione castle entry (visiting Sirmione by car)
View from the stoplight.

Sirmione by Car

I have driven in some dodgy places: tiny lanes in the middle of nowhere in the UK, ancient British towns, as well as ancient Italian villages, but nothing has ever come close to the experience of driving in Sirmione! Of course, the town was never built with cars in mind, but add that to the hordes of tourists walking about as if cars don’t exist. Oh, and I was driving a stick shift, to boot.

 visiting Sirmione by car
You can’t really see, but there’s barely any room on each side of the car and it’s filled with people!

It was a challenge. TIP: if you are not a very confident driver, just don’t drive into Sirmione. You can stay outside the walls if you have a car. You can watch a short clip below.

I dropped Mum and our luggage off at Albergo degli Oleandri (which was just perfect for one night), and drove back through the town to park the car in the lot outside of the castle walls, and walked back.

Vespa and a lemonade stand in Sirmione, Lake Garda (visiting Sirmione by car)
At least the views weren’t bad anywhere.

A bit of a hassle, especially in the heat, so be forewarned. (I was told that Sirmione is planning a multi-story parking garage which would have shuttles to bring guests to and from the center of town, but that remains to be seen. I couldn’t find any confirmation of this online.) This is just good to know if you’re going to Sirmione by car.

 visiting Sirmione by car and Hotel Degli Oleandri

After settling into our room, we went up to the terrace for our welcome drink which was a fruity carrot beverage called Ace (pronounced “ah-chey”). We then went for a little walk before deciding on where to go for dinner. Our hotel was very close to some steps to go down to Lake Garda, so Mum decided to dip her toes.

Lake Garda, Sirmione (visiting Sirmione by car)

We immediately fell in love with Sirmione. After only a few minutes’ walk we had seen the beach, tree lined walking paths through a park, what looked like ancient olive trees (with holes in each trunk), a church, and the beautiful town itself.

Sights around Sirmione, Italy (visiting Sirmione by car)

Church in Sirmione

Pretty outdoor area with barrel, table and chairs in Sirmione

This bougainvillea was being photographed by everyone, and no wonder!

Bougainvillea in Sirmione

It was gorgeous!

Beautiful bougainvillea in Sirmione

Trattoria La Fiasca

We headed back to the hotel before dinner and asked the manager for recommendations. We decided on Trattoria La Fiasca and were happy with our choice except for one thing. Everything was incredibly flavorful, but I was surprised to order Cotoletta alla Milanese only to receive a thick, breaded cut of meat instead of the usual thin version. Milanese is like Wiener Schnitzel, so I don’t know why this was the case.

Caprese salad in Sirmione

La-Fiasca-Sirmione

Evening in Sirmione

After dinner, we went for a stroll around town. The atmosphere was absolutely wonderful. The temperature had cooled and the sun was just going down creating a magical Italian evening.

Sunset in Sirmione (sirmione by car)

Sirmione by car

Sirmione by car

Sirmione by car

Sirmione by car

sirmione at night

Sirmione by car

And the requisite gelato, of course!

Sirmione by car and gelato at night

Morning in Sirmione

I got up before Mum to go out early the next morning for some photos with less people and some morning light. It was so peaceful! Shopowners were sweeping and setting up their outdoor displays, people were opening their shades and peeking out of their windows. Sirmione was just beginning to awaken.

Hotel terrace, sirmione
Sirmione by car Garda
Sirmione shop
View of Sirmione (SIrmione by Car)
Sirmione restaurant
Sirmione shop selling ceramics
Sirmione in the morning

 

Our hotel stay included breakfast, and cappuccini. Then we were off to see Le Grotte di Catullo.

Cappuccino in Sirmione

Le Grotte di Catullo

Mum and I walked to the Roman ruins as it was less than 10 minutes away from our hotel. It probably took us 20 minutes, though, because the views along the way were just captivating.

Sirmione by car

In English, Grotte di Catullo translates to Grottoes of Catullus. The ruins of a luxurious Roman villa, including a museum of artifacts which were found there, are a highlight of visiting Sirmione.

Le grotte di catullo
On the right you can see what it would have looked like when first built! Can you imagine?

In case you’ve stumbled upon this post because you’re wondering whether it’s worth visiting Le Grotte, let me begin by saying it was a phenomenal archaelogical park. I’ve been to Pompeii at least 5 times, and I would definitely recommend visiting this historical area of Sirmione. In fact, I tried to recreate a photo that was taken in Pompeii when I was about 19. Without having the photo as reference, I think my pose is pretty close!

Pompeii and Le Grotte di Catullo

I noticed one 3 star (out of 5) review online amongst the abundant 5 star reviews. The review was negative because, “museum terrible no English translations”. Excuse me, Dear, but you’re in Italy!

Mum and I actually spent most of our time outside, but the museum did contain some amazing artifacts.

 

Fresco from Le Grotte di Catullo

 

More photos from Le Grotte di Catullo.

Le Grotte di Catullo view

Le Grotte di Catullo

Le Grotte di Catullo

Le Grotte di Catullo

Le Grotte di catullo

Le Grotte di Catullo

Le Grotte di catullo

Le Grotte di Catullo

Le Grotte di Catullo

Le Grotte di Catullo

Le Grotte di Catullo

Le grotte di catullo

For more information on visiting Le Grotte di Catullo, click HERE.

Goodbye Sirmione!

After our exploration of Le Grotte di Catullo, we walked back to our hotel. We were checking out and driving to our next stop: Ferrara. We’d managed to visit Sirmione by car!

But first: lemonade. I couldn’t miss trying one of the fresh lemonades that I had seen the day before!

Lemonade in Sirmione
So refreshing!

Let me know if you have ever visited Sirmione by car, or plan to go to Sirmione by car!

Sirmione by car
Sirmione by car!

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Country, ITALY, My Rants & Recommendations, Non Sequitur · castle, Grotte di Catullo, Italian lakes, Italy, Lombardy, road trip, Rocca Scaligera, Roman ruins, Sirmione, Sirmione del Garda, Travel, travels, Verona

Reader Interactions

28 Responses

  1. My Top 9 Reasons to Visit Ferrara, Italy - Christina's Cucina says:
    August 30, 2018 at 12:11 pm

    […] and I left Sirmione sul Garda after being in Venice for three […]

    Reply
  2. Tara Dix says:
    July 31, 2018 at 6:16 am

    Great post, so lovely to be able to travel with your Mum! Slideshows are good I think especially as you have so many lovely photographs!

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      July 31, 2018 at 8:45 am

      Thanks, Tara! I appreciate it!

      Reply
    • Tanya says:
      September 12, 2018 at 8:55 am

      Thank you for another great post, filled with useful information. No, Ken and I will not be renting a car this time although it proved to be a fantastic way to see Umbria and Tuscany last year. Venice is totally car unfriendly and the train will take us everywhere we want to visit. We are only going for 10 days this time as work is calling. Keep up your great post as they are always a delight to read. 💚🇮🇹❤️

      Reply
  3. Devra Long says:
    July 30, 2018 at 12:21 pm

    We love Italy and every visit has been extraordinary! After seeing your pictures and yes, love the slideshows,
    I think that Lake Garda should be our next Italian adventure!

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      July 30, 2018 at 1:17 pm

      The rest of Lake Garda is stunning as well. One of my mum’s favorite spots is Limone sul Garda, but sadly, I’ve never been. Hope you are able to go next time!

      Reply
  4. Valentina says:
    July 30, 2018 at 12:16 pm

    Your travel recaps always make me want to hope on a plane and go! What beautiful places, and what fun to travel with your mom. :-)

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      July 30, 2018 at 1:15 pm

      Thank you, Valentina! I wish Europe was closer to California, to be honest! Haha!

      Reply
  5. Bernardo A Conte says:
    July 30, 2018 at 7:58 am

    Hi Christina everything looks wonderful,

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      July 30, 2018 at 10:22 am

      Thanks, Daddio!! :)

      Reply
  6. Frank says:
    July 30, 2018 at 6:43 am

    Sirmione looks like an absolutely magical place! Hope to make it there one day…

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      July 30, 2018 at 10:22 am

      I hope you do, too!

      Reply
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  1. My Top 9 Reasons to Visit Ferrara, Italy - Christina's Cucina says:
    August 30, 2018 at 12:11 pm

    […] and I left Sirmione sul Garda after being in Venice for three […]

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Meet Christina

A Scottish Italian cook living in Los Angeles, Christina is usually cooking, baking or (cr)eating something scrumptious. When she isn't in the kitchen, she loves to travel, near and far, as long as good food is involved. Christina is on a mission to save authentic Italian dishes from extinction, and is constantly promoting Scottish (and British) food as some of the best cuisine the world has to offer—one steak pie and sticky toffee pudding at a time.



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