It’s called ‘Catullus’ Grottoes’, but the archeological complex in pretty Sirmione, a town on the southern shores of Lake Garda, is actually a Roman villa, built between the end of the 1st century BC and 1st century AD.
Why the reference to Catullus? Because the Verona-born Latin poet owned a house there, and, in one of his poems, he heartily describes his return to his much beloved Sirmione. In reality, it has not been possible to locate Catullus’ house, but the name for the Roman villa has stayed in place and is still widely used to identify the archaeological site, despite the fact that the villa was built after Catullus’ death.
The grotto part of the phrase refers to the fact that, when Catullus’ poems were rediscovered in the 15th century, the rooms of the villa had crumbled down and been covered with vegetation so as to appear as caves.
The villa is the most impressive example of a Roman villa in northern Italy and the entire archaeological complex is the most important testimony of the Roman period in the area.
In the 16th century, the villa was a popular destination with illustrious travelers, including the marquise Isabella d’Este Gonzaga and architect Andrea Palladio, who visited the villa to study its construction techniques.
The villa, which covers an area of about two hectares on a rocky spur, featured long porticoes and terraces overlooking the lake. The central part was occupied by an extensive garden, and today houses the Grande Oliveto (Great Olive Grove); throughout the archaeological area, there are currently around 1500 olive groves, some centuries-old, belonging to three different varieties of olives from the Lake Garda area. In recent years, the harvest of olives to produce the historic Grotte di Catullo extra virgin olive oil has been revived.