Since 1889

Discoveries, innovations, successes. A history of pure passion that has lasted longer than 130 years.

A TREASURE HIDDEN AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LAKE
The thermal water spring of Sirmione has been known since the Renaissance.
The real discovery only dates from 1889 when a Venetian diver called Procopio plunged into Lake Garda in search of the Boiola, the source of warm water that everyone was talking about. It was a sensational undertaking, celebrated by the newspapers of the day, and marked the start of a new era for the whole district and its inhabitants. Close by, the following year, the very first thermal centre was opened inside the Hotel Promessi Sposi. And, in 1921, the Società Terme e Grandi Alberghi Sirmione, the Sirmione Spa and Major Hotel company, was founded.

RENAISSANCE AND SUCCESS
After the collapse of the economy due to the Great War, the company enjoyed a great boost with the opening, in 1948, of the first Treatment Centre for Rhinogenous Deafness in Italy. Two institutions were established that remain today the fulcrum of all the activities: in 1951, the Catullo Thermal Centre, located in the historic centre of Sirmione, and in 1986, the Virgilio Thermal Centre, equipped since 2009 with a paediatric department catering for children. In recent years, there has been a succession of extensions and improvements to the buildings and the creation of numerous initiatives. In 1994, the company launched the Acqua di Sirmione line and, in 2003, inaugurated the Aquaria Thermal SPA. In 2013, the marketing offer was enhanced by the Aquaria Thermal Cosmetics line, sold together with the merchandising under the Aquaria Collection brand in single-brand stores and pharmacists.

Our diver Procopius.

SIRMIONE, 24 AUGUST 1889.
The sky is clear and the sun is warm. Near the lake, a little crowd has gathered and there’s a buzz in the air over a special event.
An enormous diving suit weighing four hundredweight had arrived from London to be worn by Procopio, an expert Venetian diver, ready to plunge into Lake Garda to settle matters over the spring that people had spoken about for centuries. No one had ever attempted such an undertaken but everyone was filled with expectation.
Procopio went to around 300 metres from the shore and plunged into the water. He reached a depth of 20 metres and, following the bubbles, tried to find out where to aim the first strike of the pick. A little later, he reached the Boiola spring. A very hot jet of water gushed up to 5 metres above the surface of the lake amidst applause from onlookers. “It's not water, it's fire" exclaimed Procopius as he emerged. The diver was celebrated as a hero and remains today the symbol of a discovery that gave the entire district a bright future.