Following the shock from losing the camera, we quickly left Venice for Sirmione, about 2hrs drive (150km) due west from Venice. Sirmione is a charming village situated on a finger of land extending into the southern end of Lake Garda. It has two main attractions, the Rocca Scaligera and the Grotte di Catullo. The Rocca Scaligera is a castle built in the 13th century. It is cleverly designed to trap shipborne invaders leaving them vulnerable to missiles dropped from the castle walls. Beyond the castle are narrow streets of the village, follow by peaceful lakeside walks before one reaches the Grotte di Catullo at the tip of the penisular. This ruins of a complex of villas, baths and shops was built as a resort for weathly Romans from the 1st century BC. We took a very enjoyable morning stroll around the village.
Following Sirmione, we backtracked to Verona, which is only 50km east of Sirmione. Verona is most famous as the setting for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.Verona was a Roman city, and many Roman ruins have been preserved, notably the Arena. Though there are many notable sights in Verona, we did not have the mood to linger around another Italian city. We just took a short walk around the Arena before leaving for Milan.
1 to 3. The Rocca Scaligera at Sirmione.
4. There is a entrance fee for Grotte di Catullo. As we are not interested in the ruins, just snap a picture of the display board.
5. Piaza Bra, the center of Verona where the Arena is situated. There was a carnival.
6 to 8. The Arena, an enormous, spectacular Roman amphitheatre. It was erected in the 1st Century AD in an elliptical shape, and is the world's third-largest amphitheatre to survive from antiquity. Much of the outer ring was damaged during the earthquake of 1117 but the inner part is still intact.
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