Description of the attraction
The Church of San Pietro in Mavino, located in Piazza Manara in the resort town of Sirmione on Lake Garda, was built during the era of Lombard rule in Italy, but in the 14th century it was significantly changed. Its Romanesque bell tower was erected in 1070, and the numerous frescoes decorating the interior date back to the 12-16th centuries. The church stands on a hill at the farthest end of the Sirmione peninsula, surrounded by cypress alleys and olive groves. The hill offers a breathtaking view of the sky-colored waters of Lake Garda.
In 765, a certain Kuninomodo, a member of a noble local family, received an order from King Desiderio and Queen Anza to transfer all their property to the Basilica of Sirmione and the Monastery of San Salvatore in Brescia in atonement for a murder committed in the royal palace in Pavia. It was during this period that the church of San Pietro in Mavino was built - its name probably comes from a Latin phrase meaning "high place with vineyards." The bell tower 17 meters high, as mentioned above, was built later in two stages. In the 12th century, the first frescoes appeared in the apse of the church. And in 1320, the first reconstruction was carried out in the building: the foundation was slightly raised, and the old facade was replaced with a new one. The walls of the church were painted with frescoes. About two centuries ago - in the first quarter of the 19th century - the roof of the temple was dismantled and laid out anew. The only central nave, San Pietro in Mavino, is in the shape of an irregular rectangle, while the large central apse has two smaller ones.
Not far from the ancient church is one of the main tourist attractions of Sirmione - the so-called Grotto Catulla, which is the ruins of an ancient Roman villa from the 1st-2nd century AD. The entire archaeological zone is spread over an area of 2 hectares. There is a small museum at the entrance to the grotto.
