Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Despite an onslaught of visitors, Sirmione manages to retain its charm (though
just barely in the heaviest months of July-Aug). Vehicular traffic on the narrow,
marble-slab streets is kept to a minimum; only by booking a hotel within the old
city can you get your name on the list of cars allowed past the guard at the lone
city gate. The emphasis here is on strolling, swimming in waters that are warmed
in places by underwater hot springs, and relaxing on the sunny terraces of pleas-
ant lakeside hotels.
LAY OF THE LAND
Sirmione lies just off the A4
autostrada
between Milan,
127km (76 miles) to the west, and Venice, 149km (90 miles) to the east.
Train
connections are via nearby Desenzano (20 min. from Sirmione by half-hourly
bus), which is on the Milan-Venice trunk line. There are trains almost every half-
hour in either direction, stopping in Verona (25 min.), Venice (1
1
⁄
2
-2
1
⁄
2
hr.), and
Milan (1-1
1
⁄
2
hr.).
Hydrofoils
and
ferries
operated by
Navigazione Lago di Garda
(
%
800-
551801 or 030-9149511; www.navigazionelaghi.it)
ply the waters of the lake. One
or two hourly ferries and four daily hydrofoils connect Sirmione with Desenzano
(20 min. by ferry; 10 min. by hydrofoil). Two daily ferries and three daily hydro-
foils connect Sirmione with Riva (almost 4 hr. by ferry; 2 hr. 10 min. by hydro-
foil). Service is curtailed from October to April.
The
tourist office
is just outside the old town near the castle
(Viale Marconi,
2;
%
030-916245 or 030-916114; www.bresciaholiday.com; Nov-Mar closed Sat
afternoon and Sun).
ACCOMMODATIONS & DINING
Sirmione's gaggle of moderately priced
hotels book up quickly in July and August, which is when they charge the higher
rates quoted below. The tourist office will help you find a room in your price
range on the day you arrive, but they won't book ahead of time.
€€
One of Sirmione's best-value lodgings is also one of its most romantic. The
Grifone
(Via Bocchio, 4;
%
030-916014; www.sirmionehotel.com; no credit
cards; closed late Oct to Easter)
is a vine-clad stone building with fantastic views
of the neighboring castle and lake from its simple, plain, pleasant, and remarkably
cheap (
55
55 double) rooms. Top-floor rooms (36-42) even have small balconies.
There's also a shady patio off the lobby and a small pebble beach. Brother and sis-
ter Nicola and Cristina Marcolini oversee the hotel and adjoining restaurant with
a great deal of graciousness, carrying on several generations of a family business.
€
(Via Antiche Mura, 11;
%
030-916147;
www.corteregina.it; closed Nov-Mar)
doesn't enjoy the lake views of the Grifone,
but this attractive hotel—housed in a stone building fronted by a vine-shaded ter-
race on a narrow side street—has nicer rooms and just as friendly a welcome for
€
5
The family-run
Corte Regina
€€
95 for a double. The large tile-floored rooms have been recently reno-
vated, with contemporary furnishings under modern wood-beamed ceilings and
new bathrooms.
70 to
€
5
€€
-
€€€
(Piazza
Carducci, 17/18;
%
030-916481; www.hoteledenonline.it; closed Nov-Easter)
on
Ezra Pound once lived in the pink-stucco
Hotel Eden
