The Thermal Baths on Lake Garda

From time immemorial Sirmione on Lake Garda has been loved for its thermal baths. The presence of water made this area around Lake Garda a tourist destination as early as the 1st century A.D. when the Romans settled here. Catullo the poet had a home here and today it is known as the Grottos of Catullo, an extraordinary example of a patrician villa which, like the works of the great Roman poet, evokes a romantic atmosphere. 

Sirmione’s natural spring of hot sulphuric water is called the Boiola, and the first to speak of it was the monk Giorgio Jodoco Bergano in the little poem Benacus written in 1546. The spring is about 20 metres below ground in Lake Garda and comes from a rocky stratum close to the home of Catullo. Guests staying in our hotel near the Terme di Sirmione thermal baths, in the Palace Hotel Villa Cortine, find it easy to get to Sirmione’s thermal facilities and also to the Roman remains and the Sforza castle in the centre of Sirmione. Sirmione’s water is mineral which means it has therapeutic properties taken from the minerals in the rocks and it starts on Mount Balso at about 800 metres asl, plunging 2,500 metres below sea level before becoming the Boiola spring and having accumulated its health-giving properties.

With a temperature of 69° centigrade when it gurgles out, it contains high levels of sulphur, sodium and iodine. Given these characteristics  the water in Sirmione’s baths is used to treat respiratory problems, rheumatism and skin disorders. The Terme di Sirmione thermal baths, near the Palace Hotel Villa Cortine, are Italy’s leading facility for the treatment of rhinogenous deafness.   

But the thermal baths on Lake Garda are also popular for the opportunity they give to spend relaxing weekends or longer stays thanks to the interesting SPA packages in wellness centres in Sirmione or in other towns that offer thermal circuits, sauna and steam rooms, massages and mud treatments. 
Aquaria is a world-famous centre, a thermal facility in which it is possible, for example, to enjoy chromotherapeutic itineraries and spend the day pampered by massages and relaxing in the magnificent thermal waters. The wonderful vista of Lake Garda and the region’s nature and mild climate, as well as the proximity of famous cities like Verona with its stunning arena, contribute to making Sirmione a truly special place for a tranquil holiday full of exciting things to do and see.