Monument to Gaius Valerius Catullus
Piazza Giosuè Carducci, Sirmione
The Monument to Gaius Valerius Catullus was commissioned in 1935 by Luigi Trojani, podestà of Sirmione, to the Clodoveo Barzaghi artistic foundry in Milan, with the assistance of the sculptor Pompilio Villarubbia Norri.
The bust is dedicated to the famous Roman poet (Verona, 84 BC – Rome, 54 BC) who lived in Sirmione, known for the intensity of the amorous passions expressed in his verses. The poem 31 by Catullus (84-54 BC) recalls the poet’s happy return to his home in Sirmione. The pass, which attests to the presence of a property belonging to the wealthy Veronese family of the Valerii, to which Catullo belonged, has been associated with the imposing remains of the so-called “Grotte di Catullo” since the 15th century, so much so that the denomination has become common use although it was certainly built after the poet’s death.
The bust is dedicated to the famous Roman poet (Verona, 84 BC – Rome, 54 BC) who lived in Sirmione, known for the intensity of the amorous passions expressed in his verses. The poem 31 by Catullus (84-54 BC) recalls the poet’s happy return to his home in Sirmione. The pass, which attests to the presence of a property belonging to the wealthy Veronese family of the Valerii, to which Catullo belonged, has been associated with the imposing remains of the so-called “Grotte di Catullo” since the 15th century, so much so that the denomination has become common use although it was certainly built after the poet’s death.
