Sirmione, Lake Garda, Italy

Sirmione on Lake Garda is one of the most beautiful towns in Italy's Lake District.
travel videos & photos at: https://townsofeurope.com/ with text, maps & links.
00:00 intro
0:43 Piazza Castello
2:09 Piazza Giosuè Carducci
3:43 Via Vittorio Emanuele
4:18 Via Santa Maria Maggiore
5:17 Piazza Flaminia
5:50 Piazza Porto Valentino
7:14 town crossroad
7:34 Via Giuseppe Piana
8:43 Piazza dei Catari
9:19 Scaligero Castle
11:29 fortified harbor
15:36 Via Dante
15:52 Santa Maria Maggiore
16:17 beach walk
18:06 boat ride
18:28 Grottoes of Catullus

Lake Garda in the north of Italy, near the Alps, is the largest lake in the country and it has two dozen beautiful villages all the way around it. One of the most interesting is the fortified town of Sirmione. The first thing you see upon arrival is the impressive medieval castle. You enter the town, crossing the drawbridge, and through a fortified gate, a dramatic way to begin our visit.
Later, in the program will take you inside the castle and climb to the top of that tower for a grand view. But first, we're going to walk all around in the village and enjoy its charming pedestrian lanes. Right away, we're at the Castle Piazza, one of several charming little piazzas in this village, which also has some beautiful lanes for strolling, shopping and eating.
Interesting little alleyways, tunneling through the buildings, connect the various streets and piazzas, which adds another element to the charm of this place. And shoppers will find many tantalizing opportunities. Sirmione is on a narrow peninsulas jutting into the lake. So you'll have some nice waterfront strolls. And yes, there's a beach at the peninsula's north end. There are ruins of an ancient Roman villa, one of the largest Roman archeological sites in northern Italy.
As you'll see after we visit Sirmione in town. The castle and town scene from above gives you a nice overview and you can see how compact the town is. Just 400 meters long and 200 meters wide, with several little waterfront piazzas that are quite inviting along with charming pedestrian lanes, as we'll show you in a moment. The town is on a narrow four kilometer long peninsula that juts out into the lake.
It's been compared to a jewel on a scepter because of that unique location. It played a special role in defense of the lake, as we'll discuss later when we get inside the castle. Simply strolling around, enjoying these beautiful buildings and the location on the lake is probably one of the most enjoyable activities, as in your visit to Sirmione.
Along with that fantastic Italian cuisine, there are a handful of these beautiful piazzas lined with restaurants that go right down to the waterfront. Gives you a chance to go out on the dock and maybe take a boat ride, or just enjoy the scenic vistas along the lakeshore. The ancient Romans were here 2000 years ago, including the poet Catullus, and 100 years after him, a great villa was constructed in the ancient Roman style.
We'll see it later on a boat ride that you could catch from this pier, offering tours of Sirmione Peninsula. It's always enjoyable to watch the ducks and swans swimming around by the dock here, looking for some food, establishing the pecking order. This was photographed in the month of October, when the weather is still very nice. It was never cold, hardly any rain and no crowd.