Baths of Diocletian

A unique monumental complex for its size and exceptional state of preservation, the Baths of Diocletian are one of the most symbolic sites of Rome’s millennia-long history. The Baths were constructed in the 4th century AD and are the largest bath complex ever built in the Roman period. The Baths were later transformed by Michelangelo into the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli and the Carthusian Monastery; they have been home to the Museo Nazionale Romano since its foundation in 1889. The visitor’s route runs through the magnificent and imposing Halls of the Baths and the monumental swimming pool, before continuing through the cloisters of the Carthusian Monastery. The Small Cloister houses unique documents on religious cults in the Roman world whilst Michelangelo’s Great Cloister, an unexpected oasis of peace and silence, hosts over 400 works including statues, reliefs, altars and sarcophagi from different Roman monuments. The complex is also home to three unmissable museums: the Museum of the Written Communication of the Romans, the Museum of the Protohistory of the Latin Peoples and the Virtual Museum of the Villa of Livia.