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The Scaligero Castle is a fortress from the Scaliger era, access point to the historical centre of Sirmione, on Lake Garda. It's one of Italy's best preserved castles. In 2019 it was the 22nd most visited attraction in Italy, with 308,459 visitors. Built in the latter half of the 14th Century on the southern most part of Lake Garda in Northern Italy. Construction was initiated on behalf of the Della Scala family of Verona, who are known as the Scaligeri from which it takes it name. The family ruled Verona and a large part of the Venetian area from the years 1259 to 1387.

The castle was later controlled by the Republic of Venice from the 15th Century after the Della Scala family submitted to Venice in 1405. It continued to be an important fortification in the area. Its decline in importance began with the completion of the nearby fortress in Perchiera del Garda in the 16th Century. It continued to be used as an armory and fortification until the Unification of Italy when it became the office of the local government of Sirmione. Restoration began after World War I in 1919, when it became a museum and tourist attraction. However it was not fully restored until 2018 when the internal waters of the castle were cleared. The internal docks are the only surviving example of a 14th Century fortified port.

Sirmione is a comune in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy (northern Italy). It is bounded by the communes of Desenzano del Garda (Lombardy) and Peschiera del Garda in the province of Verona and the region of Veneto. It has a historical centre which is located on the Sirmio peninsula that divides the lower part of Lake Garda.

The first traces of human presence in the area of Sirmione dates from the 6th–5th millennia BC. Settlements on palafitte existed in the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC. Starting from the 1st century BC, the area of the Garda, including what is now Sirmione, became a favourite resort for rich families coming from Verona, then the main Roman city in north-eastern Italy. The poet Catullus praised the beauties of the city and spoke of a villa he had in the area.

In the late Roman era (4th–5th centuries AD) the city became a fortified strongpoint defending the southern shore of the lake. A settlement existed also after the Lombard conquest of northern Italy: in the late years of the Lombard kingdom, the city was capital of a judiciary district directly subordinated to the king. Ansa, wife of King Desiderius, founded a monastery and a church in the city. Around the year 1000 Sirmione was probably a free comune, but fell in the hands of the Scaliger in the early 13th century. Mastino I della Scala was probably the founder of the castle. In the same period Sirmione was refuge for Patarines hereticals. The military role of the city continued until the 16th century, but a garrison remained in the castle until the 19th century.

Sirmione was a possession of the Venetian Republic from 1405 until 1797, when it was acquired by the Habsburg Empire. It became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1860. The main historical landmark of Sirmione is the so-called Grottoes of Catullus (Grotte di Catullo), the most striking example of a Roman private edifice discovered in northern Italy. The edifice had a rectangular plan and measured 167 m × 105 m. The town is famous for its thermal springs. Other sights include:

The Scaligero Castle (13th century). This is a rare example of medieval port fortification, which was used by the Scaliger fleet. The building of this complex started in 1277 by Mastino della Scala. It presents the typical Ghibelline swallowtail merlons and the curtain-walls (with three corner towers) in pebbles alternating with two horizontal bands of brick courses. The walls on the inside were finished with plaster with graffiti, simulating blocks of stone. The castle stands at a strategic place at the entrance to the peninsula. It is surrounded by a moat and it can only be entered by two drawbridges. The castle was established mainly as a protection against enemies, but also against the locals. The main room houses a small museum with local finds from the Roman era and a few medieval artifacts.

The small church Sant’Anna della Rocca, next to the castle. It dates from the 12th century and was used mainly by the garrison and the few local villagers. The frescoes in the church date from the 14th–17th century. The church of San Pietro in Mavino, built in Lombard times (A.D. 765) but renovated in the early 14th century. At the portal one can see a brick wall with the date 1320. It is secluded from the town and is situated on the hill. The term "mavino" refers to the Latin phrase "in summas vineas" (up in the vineyards). The church has a rectangular plan and is oriented east-west. The chancel contains three apses. The one in the middle shows a Christ Pantocrator in Byzantine tradition; the one on the left a Madonna Enthroned; the one on the right a Crucifixion. The ceiling is made of wooden beams. The church contains frescoes from the 12th–16th centuries. The Romanesque bell tower dates from 1070. The church has been used in the past as a military hospital and its surroundings as a cemetery for plague victims. The church Santa Maria Maggiore (late 15th century) is located in the town centre. It stands on the site of the former Lombard church of San Martino (second half of the 8th century). It has a rectangular shape with a polygonal apse and is oriented east-west. It has a single nave, divided by three arches. It is decorated with early 15th-century frescoes. The frescoes at the bottom of the north wall even belong to an earlier period. The contemporary wooden statue of the Madonna Enthroned is also of special interest.
World heritage site The prehistoric settlement at Lugana Vecchia is part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sirmione is headed by a mayor (sindaco) assisted by a legislative body, the consiglio comunale, and an executive body, the giunta comunale. Since 1995 the mayor and members of the consiglio comunale are directly elected together by resident citizens, while from 1945 to 1995 the mayor was chosen by the legislative body. The giunta comunale is chaired by the mayor, who appoints others members, called assessori. The offices of the comune are housed in a building usually called the municipio or palazzo comunale.

Since 1995 the mayor of Sirmione is directly elected by citizens, originally every four, then every five years. The current mayor is Luisa Lavelli (FI), who in May 2018 as deputy mayor replaced the former mayor Alessandro Mattinzoli, elected regional councillor. Lavelli was finally elected mayor on 26 May 2019 with the 50.1% of the votes.

Notable people
The poet Gaius Valerius Catullus lived in the 1st century BC. His family owned a villa in Sirmione.
Alfred Tennyson described in a poem his impressions of Sirmione in the summer of 1880.
Italian writers who wrote about Sirmione include Giosuè Carducci, Antonio Fogazzaro and Gabriele D'Annunzio.
Ezra Pound and James Joyce met in the city in 1920.
Maria Callas had a villa in Sirmione.
English writer Naomi Jacob lived in Sirmione until her death in 1964. A small plaque in Sirmione commemorates her.
Blessed Benedetta Bianchi Porro lived in Sirmione, when her family moved in the 1940s, where her father, Guido was in charge of the hot spring aqueducts. She died in January 23, 1964, and a small plaque is placed in the town to commemorate her presence, especially that she is now closer to becoming a Saint of the Catholic Church.