The Diocletian Baths in Rome are a huge thermal complex housed a central building with
calidarium, tepidarium and natatio (rooms for hot or
warm baths and swimming pools filled with cold water,
partly preserved) disposed along the short axis, and
gymnasiums on both sides of the long axis, with a large
court all around used as garden.
Inside the complex there were open exedras (perhaps
used for conference rooms and public readings), wide
rectangular rooms (libraries) and circular rooms at
the west and south corners, transformed later into the
church of S. Bernardo alle Terme and into a restaurant
with an arena.
Today's Piazza della Repubblica traces
the line of the large exedra of the Baths,in front of
which there were calidarium, tepidarium and " basilica
" transformed later by Michelangelo (1563-66) into
the church of S. Maria degli Angeli.
Redesigned by Vanvitelli (1749), it is the church used
for official religious services. Noteworthy mostly for
its huge proportions, and for its eight colossal monolithic
columns in red granite (13.80mt. high), belonging originally
to the Baths. The name "Termini", given to
the central railway station, reminds deformed, the memory
of the "terme"(baths).
Some of the nearby hotels to the Diocletian Baths which work with Rome Hotels Direct are the Quirinale Hotel, Hotel Mascagni and a recent addition in 2010 the Opera Hotel in Via Nazionale. There is a super square in front of the baths which MUST be seen both at daytime and at night when the central fountain is illuminated making it one of the most beautiful squares in Rome.
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