Sirmione is a well known tourist centre and popular health resort in the province of Brescia. It is situated on a long, narrow peninsula which stretches for almost four kilometres from the south shores into Lake Garda. It was known in Roman times as Sermio Mansio on account of its numerous beautiful country houses, including the one where the poet Catullus stayed. It was fortified in the 13th century when it came under the control of Verona, and at the beginning of the 15th century it became part of the Venetian Republic. Beside the entry gate to the town stands the Scagliera Fortress, a 13th century building surrounded by water, with a boatyard and towered fortress. Inside is the Roman and Medieval Lapidary Museum. You can also visit the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, the Church of San Pietro in Mavino and the remains of “the grottoes of Catullus”, a magnificent villa built in the first century on the site of an earlier one.