The Grottoes of Catullus in Sirmione on Lake Garda

Located on the northern shore of Sirmione, the Grottoes of Catullus (Grotte di Catullo) is one of the most important tourist attractions of the peninsula. Contrary to what the name suggests, visitors will not find grottoes, but the remains of a vast Roman complex, laid out as early as the first century BC and thoroughly renovated in the first century AD.

The Grottoes of Catullus, the largest and best preserved private Roman villa in northern Italy

The Grottoes of Catullus are probably the remains of what was once a three-story mansion decorated with mosaics and frescoes, of which essentially only the basement has survived the test of time.

Splendidly furnished, the villa also had two long open porticoes, which were directly connected to the inviting panoramic terrace in the center of the northern porch.

In the 2nd century, the stately home was extended by a thermal complex, fed by lead pipes with the healing sulfur waters of the Boiola spring.

Not only the dimensions of more than two hectares and the rich furnishings, but also the privileged position on the vast olive grove overlooking Lake Garda indicate the wealth of the owners at that time.

What it is about the Grottoes of Catullus and its namesake...

For a long time, the Roman poet Catullus (87/84 - ca. 54 B.C.) was considered the owner of this stately residence. This erroneous assumption came from his carmen 31, in which the returning lyrical I (and not the author!) sings of Sirmione as "ocelle", as "pearl". Since he also calls himself "lord" of the island, it was assumed that Catullus had lived here, in the most stately and beautiful estate of Sirmione. In the meantime, however, one has turned away from taking the work literally.

The classical philologist Niklas Holzberg, for example, classifies this carmen as mock poetry and reads it less as a hymn of homecoming than as an erotic poem. Read in this way, the lyrical I praises not the homeland itself, but the bed and the amorous adventures it is ready to provide.... (1)

Most importantly, the construction of the villa is now dated to the Augustan period - and thus to a time when Catullus was already deceased.... The collapse of the residential complex, however, may have occurred in the third century .

Interesting facts about the Grottoes of Catullus

The misleading term grottoes, by the way, appeared in the Renaissance: Upon seeing the collapsed and overgrown complex, a chronicler referred to it as such. In fact, during the Renaissance, collapsed or buried structures covered by vegetation were called "caves" or "grottoes", especially since one entered them as one would enter a natural cave.

Today, near the entrance, there is also a museum with information about the complex and numerous finds unearthed during excavation work in the place, in Sirmione and in other areas of Lake Garda.

For example, the remains of splendid mosaic floors were found in the stately interiors, which, according to the taste of the time, showed primarily geometric figures. Later, however, the Romans would prefer figurative mosaics with images of people, animals or landscapes.

(1) Cf. Niklas Holzberg: Heimkehr zur Geliebten: Catulls Sirmio-Gedicht, in: Thomas Bremer/Titus Heydenreich (eds.): Zibaldone. Zeitschrift für italienische Kultur der Gegenwart, 36/2003, pp. 33-40.