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Last January, in Rome, while walking from the Piramides metro station back to Circus Maximus, my friend and I encountered two things…a man with a shoe fetish (don’t ask!) and ruins that I did not know existed in that area.
Checking out a map a couple of weeks ago, I began to retrace our route and realized that these ruins were the Baths of Caracalla. A little more investigation, revealed that these ruins are open to the public and a short walk from Circus Maximus. Since it was a little off the beaten path, I decided that it might be an interesting place to visit with not very many tourists. Anything to avoid the summer crowds of Rome, right?
After exiting the metro station, I headed northeast and took a right onto the Via delle Terme di Caracalla. About a five minute walk, I found the entrance to the Baths of Caracalla facing the main road, on the right, adjacent to Via Antonina.
Deciding to forego the audio guide, I headed onto the site and followed the marked path.
The ruins of these baths are quite extensive and very well preserved. As you walk among the remains of this vast site, it is easy to visualize what an enormous undertaking it must have been for its time.
The Baths of Caracalla were the second largest Roman public baths, built in Rome during the reigns of Septimius Severus and his son, Caracalla between 212 and 217 AD. According to records, the idea for the baths were drawn up by Severus and completed during the lifetime of Caracalla. 13,000 prisoners of war from Severus’ campaigns in Spain were ordered to clear the land and 600 marble workers and 6,000 tradesmen were employed to build the baths.
The baths were designed with a central axis and included three fundamental bathing rooms, the frigidarium (a cold pool), the tepidarium (a lukewarm pool) and the calidarium (a hot pool). The frigidarium, located in the middle of the building was bordered by two monumental gymnastic areas which were open to the sky. In these zones, or Palestra, games and competitions were held and also used to run and workout. An Olympic sized pool was located at the back of the building and devoted to recreational swimming and two libraries and extensive gardens were available for the guests to enjoy. The baths could accommodate 1600 bathers who could move from one area to another and use the pools for socialization as well as sanitary facilities.
Visiting the premises today, you are guided through walkways which assist in preserving the many mosaics that still remain The ceiling is nonexistent, however, most of the walls stand tall and many of the breathtaking arches are still intact, which once lent to both stability and aesthetics. Much of the art that decorated this magnificent space has been removed and is now displayed in museums throughout the world. Twenty-two of the columns that once stool tall were also removed in the 12th century and can be found the Trastevere area of Rome, in the church of Santa Maria.
During the summer, the Teatro dell’Opera holds concerts on the premises offering the Baths of Caracalla, lit up during the nighttime hours, as an amazing backdrop.
If you have been to Rome on numerous occasions and are in search of the city’s other treasures, this is one to behold. Uncrowded and unspoiled, it is easy attainable and adjacent to other attractions in the area. A short walk or metro ride from the Coliseum and Forum you can combine the Baths with a visit to the Catacombs (bus departs from Circus Maximus-see my blog post, Along the Appian Way), a walk around Circus Maximus or a visit the Mouth of Truth in the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin.
The Baths of Caracalla
- http://www.archeorm.arti.beniculturali.it/en/archaeological-site/baths-caracalla
- Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 0900-1830, Monday, 0900-1400. Closed December 25 and January 1. Ticket office closes one hour prior to site closing.
- Admission: Adults, €6,00, Reduced, €3,00 for European Union citizens ages 18 to 25 and for European Union teachers. Visitors 17 and under, free. Appian Way ticket: single ticket valid 7 days at 3 sites (Baths of Caracalla, Villa of the Quintilii, Mausoleum of Caecilia Metella).
- Audio guides available
- Getting There: Bus 118 – 160 – 628. Metro Line B, Circo Massimo stop.
- For summer opera information: http://www.music-opera.com/en/7871-terme-di-caracalla/date_2016-03-18,2017-09-30?gclid=CjwKEAjw7qi7BRCvsr3N58GvsTkSJAA3UzLvR4zZhQFgtyzi3te4mwlF1X-Ft89y1dkr9CTkGiImtBoCCNrw_wcB
