The Sirmione peninsula had been a focal point of control over Lake Garda over the centuries, with the Romans already making it an important place at the base of the peninsula on the Gaul route between Brescia and Verona, a place with outposts, residences for officers and emperors, and food stocks for armies. Therefore, these fortifications were built to protect the city from any external danger, and include many castles, towers, and ramparts built around the city. These fortifications are now called the Grotte di Catullo and give the city a distinctive and unique archaeological character.