Each place has its stories and many of them could be told about Sirmione Castle’s port, an important crossroads: this is where your Sirmione boat tour starts and where you can enjoy watching the shimmer of Lake Garda’s crystalline waters. Our mooring is next to the bridge of the Medieval Castle, at the umbrella with the words "Consorzio Motoscafisti Sirmione”.

Your Sirmione boat cruise has just begun and so, with a little imagination, you can see Maria Callas looking out of the terrace of her ‘20s villa. Memories of the "Casta Diva", who loved Sirmione peninsula so much that she decided to live here, still warm the hearts of the locals and she is a tribute to the elegance of Lake Garda.

As you start to feel the breeze on your face, you will immediately notice, on your right, a place for health and relaxation: the Aquaria thermal spa. It is famous in the area for its hot, sulphurous spring water and is situated between the peninsula’s vegetation and the lake it attracts numerous visitors every day, who visit it for health purposes or just to see the view.

Close your eyes, imagine yourself diving into the warm thermal water, and then opening them again to see the breathtaking views of the Grotte di Catullo.  After thousands of years you can still see the remains of this impressive roman villa that dominates the tip of Sirmione peninsula and that has been praised by many poets.  During your speedboat trip, try repeating to yourself:   “Salve, o deliziosa Sirmione, e godi del (tuo) padrone   godete anche voi, onde del lago Lidio!” which means:  "Hail, delightful Sirmione, and enjoy (your) patronage Lydian waves of the lake enjoy also!”

We continue our boat trip to a natural paradise: the Rocca di Manerba is a nature reserve that encompasses the beauty of the land and the lake, with woodlands, ponds and cliffs overhanging the water. Blackbirds, warblers, swallows and swifts circle in the sky, creating an image for you to store in your memories of this boat trip forever.

The island of San Biagio, also known as "rabbit island", is a natural extension of the peninsula, which was once used for hunting by the owners of the nearby, seventeenth century villa. When Lake Garda’s waters are low, you can reach it on foot, but today, you can enjoy a less crowded visit during our boat tour.

The island of Garda, known in the past as "Isola Borghese", is the largest on the lake and welcomes us with a view of its magnificent, Venetian Gothic style villa, built in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.The Cavazza family live on the island and welcome visitors to their home:    Countess Alberta often provides a personal guide and lovingly tells the story of the villa and its park that has belonged to her family for generations.

And now, keep your eyes fixed on the surface of the lake in search of bubbles: it is said that right here, in 1889, a Venetian diver called Procopio discovered the Boiola sulphur spring.  Science confirms that Sirmione’s Boiola spring is where these healthy waters appear from their source on Mount Baldo and that they bring health benefits to the most famous spa on Lake Garda, we can admire them from the motorboat.

After discovering the secrets of this part of Lake Garda, we can take a closer look at what you will have noticed at the start of your trip: the majestic Sirmione Castle, or Rocca Scaligera, one of the few castles left on the lake, and definitely one of the best preserved.It is a fortification with a moat still full of water it has an internal harbour to shelter a fleet of boats, three more towers and walls with swallowtail battlements, a typical Scaligero medieval building of its time.

We sail around the castle to return to where we started our trip.  Our boat tour of Sirmione peninsula is almost over.Enjoy the view of the castle from the lake, but don’t get too distracted, because we are about to go under its drawbridge.  Be careful not to bump your head under the bridge!We return to the port to say goodbye and a sincere thank you for joining us on our boat tour.