Sirmione

Acroos the only bridge into Sirmione

Undoubtedly the busiest place on Lake Garda we visited was Sirmione. This small town, originally held within the town walls at the end of a long finger of land sticking out into the lake. These days it’s sprawled along the thin isthmus to the old town.

The only vehicles allowed through the walls are taxis, hotel residents & locals who live there. Nonetheless it’s heaving with vehicles & people. We couldn’t help wondering why Sirmione didn’t do as so many other villages around Lake Garda did. They have plenty of unloading bays around the outside of the town/village. Deliveries are then transferred from vans onto trolleys & walked in. The local hotels clearly had electric vehicles that could transport guests & their luggage to & from the parking area outside the castle gateway & then they could transfer to taxis there. Surely local residents could park in the car parks & walk in. It would certainly reduce the traffic considerably.

We had been warned, both by another English couple we had met at our hotel & our rep, that Sirmione would be busy. It was wise to get there before the first ferries start to arrive. We were very glad we followed the advice.

The guidebooks recommend going by boat. Certainly I can see the castle would have looked impressive arriving that way. However, the ferry company could not guarantee wheelchair access both ways, & the ferries were widely set apart & we weren’t sure how long we would want to stay. 

Going around Sirmione by boat

The village abounds with gelaterias (ice-cream shops), some selling a hundred different flavours. However, when we arrived it was too early for an ice-cream & by the time we left we were too desperate to get away from the crowds.

It is a pretty village. At one end there is the Grotte di Catullo. I would have liked to have gone. I remember reading a lot of Catullus in my school days but the slope up was too much & from the pictures the ground would have been too uneven when we got there anyhow.

We had a look around the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Neve church. The more famed church, San Pietro, was too far up that hill again. Nonetheless we saw some interesting frescoes. We also walked part of the way along the lakeside path until we got to some steps.

 

The entrance to the Chiesa di Santa Maria dell Neve

It was a very pleasing village, spoilt only by the sheer number of people & vehicles. I hate to think what it must be like in high summer!

 

Within the town walls across fromt the car park