Sirmione

Template:For Template:Infobox Italian comune Sirmione (Brescian: Template:Lang; Template:Langx) is a comune in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy (northern Italy). It is bounded by Desenzano del Garda (Lombardy) and Peschiera del Garda in the province of Verona and the region of Veneto. It has a historical centre which is located on the Sirmio peninsula that divides the lower part of Lake Garda.

History

File:Map of comune of Sirmione (province of Brescia, region Lombardy, Italy).svg

Map showing Sirmione in the Province of Brescia.

The first traces of human presence in the area of Sirmione date from the 6th–5th millennia BC. Settlements on palafitte existed in the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC.

Starting from the 1st century BC, the area of the Garda, including what is now Sirmione, became a favourite resort for rich families coming from Verona, then the main Roman city in north-eastern Italy. The poet Catullus praised the beauties of the city and spoke of a villa he had in the area.

In the late Roman era (4th–5th centuries AD) the city became a fortified strongpoint defending the southern shore of the lake. A settlement existed also after the Lombard conquest of northern Italy: in the late years of the Lombard kingdom, the city was capital of a judiciary district directly subordinated to the king. Ansa, wife of King Desiderius, founded a monastery and a church in the city.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Around the year 1000, Sirmione was probably a free comune, but fell into the hands of the Scaliger in the early 13th century. Mastino I della Scala was probably the founder of the castle. In the same period, Sirmione was refuge for Patarines hereticals. The military role of the city continued until the 16th century, but a garrison remained in the castle until the 19th century.

Sirmione was a possession of the Venetian Republic from 1405 until 1797, when it was acquired by the Habsburg Empire. It became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1860.

Main sights

File:SirmioneCastle.jpg

Sirmione Castle

File:2017-04-10 04-14 Gardasee 151 Sirmione, Il Medioevo Sul Garda (33996927220).jpg

Template:Lang church

The main historical landmark of Sirmione is the so-called Grottoes of Catullus (Template:Lang), the most striking example of a Roman private edifice discovered in northern Italy. The edifice had a rectangular plan and measured Template:Convert.
The Scaligero Castle (13th century). This is a rare example of medieval port fortification, which was used by the Scaliger fleet. The building of this complex started in 1277 by Mastino I della Scala. It presents the typical Ghibelline swallowtail merlons and the curtain-walls (with three corner towers) in pebbles alternating with two horizontal bands of brick courses. The walls on the inside were finished with plaster with graffiti, simulating blocks of stone. The castle stands at a strategic place at the entrance to the peninsula. It is surrounded by a moat and it can only be entered by two drawbridges. The castle was established mainly as a protection against enemies, but also against the locals. The main room houses a small museum with local finds from the Roman era and a few medieval artifacts.
The small church of Template:Lang, next to the castle. It dates from the 12th century and was used mainly by the garrison and the few local villagers. The frescoes in the church date from the 14th–17th century.
The church of Template:Lang, built in Lombard times (AD 765) but renovated in the early 14th century. At the portal one can see a brick wall with the date 1320. It is secluded from the town and is situated on the hill. The term Template:Lang refers to the Latin phrase Template:Lang (up in the vineyards). The church has a rectangular plan and is oriented east–west. The chancel contains three apses. The one in the middle shows a Christ Pantocrator in Byzantine tradition; the one on the left a Madonna Enthroned; the one on the right a Crucifixion. The ceiling is made of wooden beams. The church contains frescoes from the 12th–16th centuries. The Romanesque bell tower dates from 1070. The church has been used in the past as a military hospital and its surroundings as a cemetery for plague victims.
The church Template:Lang (late 15th century) is located in the town centre. It stands on the site of the former Lombard church of San Martino (second half of the 8th century). It has a rectangular shape with a polygonal apse and is oriented east–west. It has a single nave, divided by three arches. It is decorated with early 15th-century frescoes. The frescoes at the bottom of the north wall even belong to an earlier period. The contemporary wooden statue of the Madonna Enthroned is also of special interest.

World Heritage Site

The prehistoric settlement at Lugana Vecchia is part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.<ref name=UNESCO>Template:Cite web</ref>

Municipal government

Sirmione is headed by a mayor (Template:Lang) assisted by a legislative body, the Template:Lang, and an executive body, the Template:Lang. Since 1995, the mayor and members of the Template:Lang are directly elected together by resident citizens, while from 1945 to 1995 the mayor was chosen by the legislative body. The Template:Lang is chaired by the mayor, who appoints others members, called Template:Lang. The offices of the Template:Lang are housed in a building usually called the Template:Lang or Template:Lang.

Since 1995, the mayor of Sirmione is directly elected by citizens, originally every four, then every five years. The current mayor is Luisa Lavelli (FI), who in May 2018 as deputy mayor replaced the former mayor Alessandro Mattinzoli, elected regional councillor. Lavelli was finally elected mayor on 26 May 2019 with the 50.1% of the votes and re-elected on 10 June 2024 with 33% of the votes.

Mayor	Term start	Term end	Party
Mario Arduino	24 April 1995	14 June 1999	bgcolor=Template:Party color\|	PDS
Maurizio Ferrari	14 June 1999	8 June 2009	bgcolor=Template:Party color\|	AN
Alessandro Mattinzoli	8 June 2009	29 May 2018	bgcolor=Template:Party color\|	FI
Luisa Lavelli	29 May 2018	incumbent	bgcolor=Template:Party color\|	FI

Notable people

The poet Gaius Valerius Catullus (c. 84 - c. 54 BCE) lived in the 1st century BC. His family owned a villa in Sirmione.
Alfred Tennyson described his impressions of Sirmione in the summer of 1880 in his poem Frater Ave atque Vale.Template:Efn
Italian writers who wrote about Sirmione include Giosuè Carducci, Antonio Fogazzaro and Gabriele D'Annunzio.
Ezra Pound and James Joyce met in the city in 1920.
Maria Callas had a villa in Sirmione.
English writer Naomi Jacob lived in Sirmione until her death in 1964. A small plaque in Sirmione commemorates her.
Blessed Benedetta Bianchi Porro lived in Sirmione, when her family moved in the 1940s, where her father, Guido was in charge of the hot spring aqueducts. She died on 23 January 1964; a small plaque is placed in the town to commemorate her presence, especially that she is now closer to becoming a Saint of the Catholic Church.