Phaselus ille

The post below shows a lovely aerial view of the remains of Catullus's villa on the peninsula of Sirmio (present-day Sirmione), in Lake Garda, at the foot of the Alps.  You can see why he was so excited to return home! 

Above is a drawing of a phaselus.  The one that brought Catullus back from Bithynia must have been somewhat bigger to make the voyage it describes.   I have added an article, "The Persona of Catullus' Phaselus," to the UBLearns site, under Course Documents, if you want to read one opinion about the personality of the talkative little "bean pod" boat.