Large areas of Rome seem to have once been given over to Baths of one time or another. In my earlier stay in Rome, I had visited some remains of Diocletian’s Baths, near Termini train station, 3rd century, I think. Not far from the Colosseum and Palatine Hill are the remains of Caracallas Baths (3rd to 6th Century), covering an extensive area of parkland. You can see the remains of the mosaic floors and the now empty, warm and cool pools and fountains. Such extravagance with water! Apart from the obvious basic need for drinking water, and operating grist mills for flour and bread, what a shock it would have been to the Roman way of life, when the Goths damaged the aqueducts in the 5th/6th Century, and cut off the Roman water supply – if only that was all that occurred at this major turning point in European history.
At Caracallas baths
Marble, Mosaic Floors in some bath areas.
A large pool area at Caracallas baths.
A ‘board game’ at the side of one of the pool areas.
A few streets away from the Baths is a small museum developed from excavations under a church, revealing the remains of two Roman houses and some evidence of two martyrs, San Giovani and San Paolli said to have been buried there. What was most interesting about this location was how dwellings from different period had been built almost literally on top of each other, leaving or incorporating hidden remnants of what went before.
As might be expected, nowhere in Rome is far from a church and most days here we visited at least one! St Clements provided access to its basement which showed earlier parts of the church and an underground waterway. No photos permitted here – not sure why. The Bascillica of St Giovani – the main church of Rome was not far from St Clements and was on our main route back to where we are staying, which is not far from the second great Bascillica St Maria Maggiore (St Peter’s doesn’t count as it’s in the Vatican). So much money spent on these places!!
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