Sirmione, Part II

The Church of San Pietro in Mavino: It was founded, according to tradition, by local fishermen in Lombard times. A part of the old building is still standing, although with additions and changes that have occurred in various periods, including Romanesque (XI-XII century). 

The building stands on the highest point of the peninsula of Sirmione, outside the town, not far from the ruins of the so-called "Grotte di Catullo" (famous archaeological site with the remains of a large residential building from the Roman period, and become reactivated Lombard period in fortified site). 

The first documents mentioning the church of San Pietro in Mavino date from the eighth century (in a manuscript of the year 756), while much more important is the document of the year 774 that records the donation of all the possessions of the Lombards to Sirmione Carolingian monastery of St. Martin of Tours, among them precisely the church of San Pietro in Mavino). 

The church of San Pietro in Mavino is today a rectangular nave with three semicircular apses to the east, and draws buildings of Carolingian derivation of the VIII-IX centuries. 

A bit off the beaten path from the usual tourist trade, a small sign will take you to a small, but stunning church.

The frescoes date from between the 12th and 16th centuries.