DURATION
25 min.
DAYS
Everyday - Private Excursion
DURATION
25 min.
DAYS
Every day: departure at 11:00 and 17:00 - Group Excursion
Sirmione, a magical meeting between turquoise water and a land praised by poets over two thousand years ago: an excursion by boat to admire the Sirmione peninsula is among the ten things not to miss during a holiday on Lake Garda. SirmioneBoats has accompanied travellers on boat trips to Sirmione for over twenty years.
We leave from the Scaligero castle’s port and sail along the peninsula’s coast, where you can see Maria Callas’s 1920’s villa, where Callas felt inspired to interpret her opera characters, you can observe the thermal spa baths and the Aquaria wellness centre. We stop to imagine where the poet Catullus wrote his poems within the Roman villa known as the “Grotte di Catullo“. Then we look amongst the waves to find the bubbles from the Boiola sulphur spring, that provides the beneficial thermal water to Sirmione and finally, after admiring the architecture and perfect preservation of Sirmione Castle, we will have to lower our heads to go under the castle drawbridge and return to port.
In case of bad weather the tour will be postponed or cancelled.
Join-in tour: Minimum participants number is required.
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!”
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.