Luminous installations transform Grotte di Catullo into immersive Roman villa experience

From June 2 to July 30, the Grotte di Catullo archaeological site in Sirmione, on the Lombardy shores of Lake Garda, hosts 'Stravaganze Imperiali,' a multimedia and multisensory night path featuring eight large-scale light installations. The project, conceived by Brazilian-born Italian artist and curator Vera Uberti in collaboration with Mai Museum, animates the two-hectare Roman villa and park. Installations include a luminous serpent symbolizing welcome and wisdom, a pool of smoke and light replacing marble and water, and illuminated spheres among ancient olive trees. A triptych of screens shows David LaChapelle's 'I Believe in Miracles' exhibition from Mudec Milan. The experience incorporates sounds—including Catullus's Carmen XXXI—and an aphrodisiac tasting in the ancient dining room by chef Andrea Mainardi and Spirito Cocktails. The initiative, supported by Mai Museum, the Regional Directorate of Museums of Lombardy, and the Municipality of Sirmione, aims to attract younger audiences and fund a new lighting system via Art Bonus crowdfunding. Entry costs €110 for adults, half for ages 7–12, free for under 6. Emanuela Daffra, director of the Polo Museale della Lombardia, describes it as an interpretation of distant roots using modern sensibilities and technologies.