The Grotte di Catullo in Sirmione (part 1/2)
The glitz of an ancient Roman villa
With what joy and happiness I see you again
Sirmione, jewel of the peninsulas and islands,
among all those that the double Neptune welcomes in
clear lakes and vast seas!
I hardly think I left Tinia
and the bitinian lands and to see you again out of any danger.
… Hello, beautiful Sirmione, rejoice in your lord;
and rejoice you, O Lidie waves of the lake:
ring, laugh all of the house.
Gaius Valerius Catullus
The term “Grotte di Catullo” indicates the remains of a sumptuous Roman villa dating back to the end of the 1st century BC. and the 1st century AD located in Sirmione, in the province of Brescia, on the southern shore of Lake Garda. To date it appears to be the most important testimony dating back to the Roman period of the territory of Sirmione and is certainly the most impressive example of a Roman residential villa in all northern Italy.
Its name dates back to the fifteenth century, the moment in which the lyrics by Gaio Valerio Catullo (I century BC) were rediscovered, and in particular the appellation is linked to Carme 31, in which the poet of Veronese origin describes his return to the beloved house of Sirmione. At the time, the spectacular remains of the villa were visible, although partially buried and covered with vegetation, which in the eyes of contemporaries looked like caves. Although this association proved to be inaccurate, as the villa was built after the death of Catullus, it gave the site its name.
The archaeological complex is located in an extraordinary panoramic position, on the extreme tip of the Sirmione peninsula, overlooking the entire basin of Lake Garda from the top of the rocky spur. The villa occupies a somewhat extensive area of about 2 hectares and is surrounded by a historic olive grove which is made up of over 1500 plants.
Anyone interested in visiting the fascinating site should know that the Archaeological Museum of Sirmione has been open within the area since 1999, which displays exhibits from the peninsula and some sites in the lower Garda area.
The Roman villa
The first scientific excavations of the site can be traced back to the mid-nineteenth century but, only after the public acquisition of the area between 1947 and 1949, the first real detailed research was carried out which led to the publication in 1956 of a first guide of the whole complex, correctly interpreted as a sumptuous Roman villa.
The most recent investigations have allowed to delineate the chronology of the villa, built in the Augustan age (last decades of the 1st century BC – early 1st century AD) and abandoned during the 3rd century AD, confirming that the currently visible construction was carried out with a unitary project that defined the orientation and distribution of the spaces, according to certain criteria of axiality and symmetry.
A survey in the southern sector of the villa also found the existence of some rooms relating to a built before the large villa, intentionally abandoned and demolished at the level of the foundations at the time of the new construction.
The structure has a rectangular plan (167 x 105 meters) with two foreparts on the short north and south sides, spread over three floors. To overcome the inclination of the rocky bank on which the building was set, large support works were made in the northern part and significant cuts were created to shape the rocky bank. The latter are still clearly visible on the west side where the cryptoporticus is present and on the eastern side of the northern front.
The main floor, corresponding to the owner’s home, is today the most damaged, as it was the most exposed and because the villa, after its abandonment, was used for centuries as a quarry for materials. The intermediate and lower floors are better preserved.
The main entrance of the building was located south, towards the mainland, and allowed access to the upper residential floor, which was also equipped with a thermal sector with a swimming pool. At the same level, along the long sides, loggias and terraces facing the lake developed along the east and west sides, communicating to the north with a large panoramic terrace stretched out over the water, with a velarium, a mobile fabric cover from multiple sheets.
A system of ramps and stairs made it possible to go down to the lower floors, which were mostly intended for service areas, and to access the beach located on the most extreme tip of the peninsula.
The long western side of the intermediate floor was occupied by the large cryptoporticus, the Greek criptos (hidden) and the Latin porticus (portico), an extended walk once covered, largely obtained by digging the natural rocky bank, which allowed the owners and guests of the sumptuous villa to enjoy pleasant walks during bad weather or to avoid the heat of the summer days.
The residential parts of the building were located in the north and south areas, while the central part, which currently houses an olive grove, was occupied by a large rectangular open space of about 4000 square meters. Inside there was the garden, surrounded on the sides by a portico and divided internally by paths and flower beds, as some wall paintings of the Roman age that have come down to us would suggest. Finally, on the southern side, under a floor in opus spicatum, a type of facing made of bricks placed according to the herringbone or wheat ear arrangement, there is finally a large cistern almost 43 meters long, which had the task of collecting the water needed for daily use.
After the abandonment of the building in the third century AD, the site was now in ruins, however by virtue of its strategic location and its role as a visual control point of much of Lake Garda, it was included in the defensive structure that went to surround the peninsula (late 4th-early 5th century AD). And right from this period, the ruins of the villa also began to house a necropolis.
Trained at the University of Turin, where she obtained her three-year degree in Cultural Heritage Sciences and her master's degree in History of Archaeological and Historical-Artistic Heritage, she specialized at the University of Milan, graduating in Archaeological Heritage. Freelancer, she deals with computer archeology and virtual heritage, museum displays, 2D graphics and multimedia products applied to cultural heritage. Collaborates with various public and private bodies in the field of projects related to the research, enhancement, communication and promotion of cultural heritage. She deals with the creation of cultural itineraries relating to the entire Italian Peninsula and the development of content (creation of texts and photographic production) for paper and virtual publications. Her study interests include the development of new techniques and means of communication for the enhancement of cultural heritage and the evolution of the symbolism of power between the Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages.
One Comment
Pingback: