Duration: 2.5 hours
S. Maria in Tempulo, S.S. Nereo e Achilleo, Baths of Caracalla
When one thus beholds an object two thousand years old and more, but so manifoldly and thoroughly altered by the changes of time, but, sees nevertheless, the same soil, the same mountains, and often indeed the same walls and columns, one becomes, as it were, a contemporary of the great counsels of Fortune.
The archeologically rich area we are going to explore spans from the Roman Forum to the Baths of Caracalla and stretches to Porta San Sebastiano. The “archaeological walk” here has been established as early as the end of the 19th century. I will share with you the history and the rationale of the architectural project by Giacomo Boni, Rodolfo Lanciani and Nicodemo Severi, whose aim was to protect the remains from getting lost in the process of urban modernization. Many projects were submitted and it was only after endless tweaking and alterations that the winning project was given the green light (1914). As a result, a large green area was laid out from the Baths to the Circus Maximus, with a 600-metre long avenue cutting running through it, nestled between the Aventine and the Caelian Hills. Walking along this avenue, we will come across a small deconsecrated church, Santa Maria in Tempulo. The construction, built by refugees hailing from Greece, dates back to the VI century. It owes its name to the fact that it was built on the site of an older Roman temple. Its story is quite interesting: first a monastery, then a private residence, it was sacked and turned into a nymphaeum of the nearby Villa Celimontana. Subsequently, the place was used as a barn until the beginning of the 20th century, when it was restored; today, it is a lovely spot for civil wedding ceremonies. We might even get lucky and have the chance to take a peek inside. On the other side of the path is another perfect wedding spot: the church of the saints Nereo and Achilleo. The inside of the construction is vibrant and colorful, beautifully decorated by Pomarancio with a series of frescoes on the lives of saints. Our tour will end in the second largest thermal baths after Diocletian’s: the Baths of Caracalla. These splendid thermae were open to the public and could accommodate up to 1500 people. As these baths were very popular among common people, upper classes actually preferred the baths of Trajan, Agrippa or Nero. We will step inside the large caldarium area (for hot baths), and then in the frigidarium and tepidarium (with respectively cold and lukewarm pools), whose floors are completely covered in mosaics. We will go on an immersive journey in the everyday life of ancient Romans. A surprising amount of activities took place in the baths: people came here to relax, to have fun, to practice sports and even for business meetings. The lavish interiors included the two famous statues of Farnese Bull and Farnese Hercules (now in the Museo Archeologico in Naples), the enormous red porphyry basin now in the Round Hall of the Vatican Museums and the granite basins of the two fountains in Piazza Farnese, in the heart of Rome.