56. Lake Garda and Sirmione, Italy. Visit Italy's biggest lake and the lakeside village of Sirmione, Italy.
I’m excited to share this episode 56 with you. This was a day trip we did from Verona and is one of the highlights of our Italian trip so far.
Today’s episode is all about Italy’s largest lake – Lake Garda and the gorgeous little village of Sirmione.
We tell all about the famous wine they make in this region – which is now our favourite.
Listen as we take you on a fancy boat cruise on the lake past ancient ruins, snow-capped mountains, medieval villages and fancy hotels.
Sirmione is famous for its thermal hot springs and we tell you some of the healing properties of the springs and which hotels and resorts you can visit if you want to enjoy the thermal baths.
We wander the cobblestone streets, past a 15th century castle with its stunning moat to the most famous spot for photos – the kissing point.
We tell all about the stunning beaches and views and gorgeous restaurants in the village.
Listen to the end where we talk about some unusual shops we saw (well I saw them, Lyle wasn’t too impressed) and where we found the massive lemons that were the size of footballs.
Hope you enjoy being transported to the stunning Lake Garda and Sirmione in Episode 56.
Shownotes and pictures below
We did a day trip from Verona to the gorgeous little lakeside village of Sirmione which is situated on a peninsular on the edge of Lake Garda.
We met in Verona and took a bus for the 45 minute drive to the marina area of Sirmione. On the way you pass many vineyards and little medieval Italian villages. We learnt all about Lugana wine made in this region - which has become one of our favourites.
Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy and covers an area of 370 square kilometres. At its longest point it is 52km long . It has a circumference of 140km and takes about 3 - 4 hours non-stop driving to go around the whole lake by car. It’s shoreline is divided between three provinces of Italy, Brescia, Verona and Trentino.
We did a 45 minute boat tour on the lake in a lovely wooden boat. We started in the little marina area and went out past some of the fancy hotels. Lake Garda is known for its thermal spring waters and there are some fancy hotels that people go to for the healing properties of the thermal springs. While you are out in the lake you can see the bubbles coming up to the surface.
After we went past the hotels we went further into the lake. It is surrounded by mountains and some still had snow on them, even though it was nearly summer. The lake was calm and blue and the views were some of the best I have seen anywhere. Just beautiful.
The next sight you come across it the Roman grotto ruins on the point of the peninsular. They are called the Grottos of Catullus. They are the ruins of a Roman villa built between end of the 1st century BC and beginning of 1st century AD. The site includes an archaeological museum as well as 1500 ancient olive trees.
As the boat cruise continues around the lake you see the impressive Scaliger Castle from the lake. This castle was built in the 14th century and is positioned at the entrance to Sirmione and is surrounding by a moat. After World War I in 1919 it became a museum.
After our boat tour we did a short walking tour around the cobblestone streets of the village. We saw some lovely restaurants and fancy shops.
We walked to Maria Callas’s villa (she is a famous Opera singer) and saw the gardens next door. There are a few lovely parks you can wander through in Sirmione.
Probably the most impressive thing about Sirmione and the lake are the jaw-dropping views from so many vantage points from the village and also the water.
Sirmione is a very popular holiday spot, especially in the summer months.
We would definitely recommend the doing this tour. You can see the details by clicking here.
If you want more details of the tour, the lake or Sirmione then you can check out the podcast by clicking the players at the top of the page.
Alternatively, if you would like to see what others areas and cities we have podcasts, show notes and pictures of in Italy, then click the button below.