Lake Garda ‘Hidden’ Gem
The castle Scaliger is nestled in Sirmione’s Italian lakeside town. Sirmione is a village and community located in the Lombardy area of Brescia province. Sirmione has a gorgeous historic center on top of a tiny peninsula that flattens out into the southern part of Lake Garda. One of the best examples of medieval fortifications, including a very unusual fortified port, is Scaliger Castle.
Catullo was living in Sirmione
Sirmione was once known as Garda, and since the 1st century BC had been the elite’s Veronese summer resort. The city had grown into one of northeastern Italy’s most important Roman cities, and several artists and poets of the time, including Catullus, had praised Garda.
The city was an significant fortified fortress for defending the southern part of Garda Sea during the 4th and 5th centuries A.D. Even after the Lombard conquest, a settlement had existed in the area and relied directly on the King for its activity. Ansa’s wife of King Desiderius had established a town church and monastery.
A significant military center
Sirmione came into the hands of the Scaliger family in the first half of the 13th century. Mastino I della Scala is thought to have founded the castle. Until the 16th century, the city remained an significant military center. A garrison stayed in the castle until the nineteenth century. From 1405 to 1797, when it was purchased by Austria, Sirmione was part of the Republic of Venice. Sirmione later became part of Unified Italy in 1888.
Back to the Middle-Age
Built in the 13th century, the castle was a port fortress commonly used by the Scaliger family’s fleet. The castle dominates the city and has a big fossil fossil in which can now be seen ducks and swans. The tower is open to the public for view. 150 steps lead to the walls.
