Le terme were not only a building for bathing, sports, and body care, but also a place for strolling and studying. One entered the central body of the building through four doors on the northeast facade.
Along the central axis, one can observe in sequence the calidarium, the tepidarium, the frigidarium, and the natatio; on the sides of this axis, other rooms are symmetrically arranged around the two gymnasiums. The Baths of Caracalla are one of the rare cases in which it is possible to reconstruct, if only partially, the original decorative program.
Written sources speak of enormous marble columns, flooring in colored oriental marbles, glass paste mosaics, and marbles on the walls, painted stuccoes, and hundreds of statues and colossal groups, both in the wall niches of the rooms and in the most important halls and gardens. For water supply, a special branch of the Aqua Marcia aqueduct was created, the Aqua Antoniniana. Restored several times, the thermal plant ceased to operate in 537 AD.
Open on Easter Monday.
Opening hours: 9:00 AM
•from October 1 to the last Saturday of October: last entrance 5:30 PM with exit at 6:30 PM
Accessibility.
The monument above ground, having no elevation differences, is easily accessible. The site is equipped with parking for vehicles of disabled visitors bearing the specific permit.
The area is equipped with suitable restroom facilities.
