Rome - Baths of Caracalla Terme di Caracalla

The Baths of Caracalla to the south of Rome, begun by Septimus Severus in A.D. 206 and completed by Caracalla in 216, were much more than public baths. Nowadays they would be called a "leisure center", containing as they did a whole system of baths (hot and cold baths, a swimming pool, sweat baths with both dry and damp heat), facilities for gymnastics and sport, pleasant rooms for social intercourse, gardens to walk in, lecture rooms and libraries, hairdressers and shops.

Must-see attractions nearby:

National Museum / Baths Museum

These various needs were met in a massively imposing structure covering an area 300m/1,100ft square, a complex of gigantic halls with huge columns and piers, domes and semi-domes, barrel vaulting and cross vaulting, which could accommodate some 1,500 people at a time. The floors and walls were covered with marbles, mosaics and frescoes. The leisure needs of the population have never been catered for with such magnificence as in the Roman baths; even in ruin their splendor is still apparent.

Address: Baths of Caracalla, Via delle Terme di Caracalla 52, I-00186 Rome, Italy

Hours:

9am-5pm; Sun: 9am-2pm

Always closed on: Epiphany (3 Kings' Day ) - Christian (January 6), New Year's Day (January 1), Liberation Day - Italy (April 25), May Day / Labor Day (May 1), Festival of the Tricolor - Italy (May 12), Feast of St John the Baptist - Christian (June 24), Assumption Day - Christian (August 15), Victory Day / National Unity Day - Italy (November 4), All Saints' Day - Christian (November 1), Day after Christmas, St Stephen's Day, Boxing Day (December 26), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Easter - Christian, Easter Monday - Christian

Disability Access: Full facilities for persons with disabilities.

Transit: Metro: Circo Massimo (line B); Bus: 11, 27, 90, 90b, 94, 118, 673; Tram: 13, 30, 30b.