Last fall, we headed to the the Baths of Caracalla for a free Sunday (more on the status of the free Sundays in a post coming up soon). It was a gorgeous fall day, making for a glorious outdoor experience. Not only did we enjoy the beauty of the site, with its magnificent umbrella pine trees, but we really liked the modern art installations scattered throughout, which will be featured in our next post.

These baths were among Rome’s largest, built around 217 C.E., during the reigns of the emperors Septimius Severus and his nasty son, Caracalla.

This was a massive, elaborate complex of different bathing pools, dressing rooms, shops, areas for walking, libraries for studying, exercise areas, and spa treatment areas. It must have been dazzling.

The bath complex still feels enormous, and retains hints of its magnificence. What we see today are the massive brick structures that would have been covered with marble and decoration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Baths would have been full of gorgeous mosaics, some of which are still in place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Baths of Caracalla were used until the 6th Century, when the water supply to the baths (and much of Rome) was intentionally cut off by the invading Ostrogoths. The baths were then pretty much abandoned. Damage occurred from earthquakes and from the baths being used as a source for building supplies.

Next time I go, I’ll be trying out the fancy new headsets that give you a 3-D virtual reality tour of what the baths once looked like. But coming first, I’ve got more to share on this last visit — a juxtaposition of the ancient ruins and modern art.