The colossal imperial baths and opera under the stars
Inaugurated in 216 AD by the emperor Caracalla, the Baths of Caracalla were one of the largest and most luxurious bath complexes of ancient Rome, able to welcome over 1,500 people at a time. Their ruins, with walls still over thirty metres high, give an idea of the grandeur of Roman engineering.
The visit leads through the frigidarium, the tepidarium and the caldarium, the gymnasiums, the libraries and the huge central halls, with fragments of mosaic floors showing athletes and sea creatures. Underground, a network of tunnels for the service staff and the furnaces that heated the water has been partly opened, and it houses the largest Mithraeum in Rome. In summer the baths become the spectacular setting of the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma's open-air season.
Tip: the site is large and rarely crowded; virtual reality viewers show how the baths looked in their prime. Combine it with a walk along the Via Appia.
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