The Baths of Diocletian - A Stop on the Secret Tour

ERICA  As we arrived at our second stop on The Secret Tour, I looked out the van window and saw a reasonably nice looking building, the entrance of the building forming a shape that looked like the side of a dome, with remains of marble angels on the gigantic doors. 

As we walked in, we were bewildered by the sight of a beautiful church. The ceiling was pretty plain, as if some design had come off of it, but there were beautiful sculptures and paintings. Our tour guide, Filippo, brought us into a room, where there was a Google Maps birds eye view picture of the area around the Baths. Filippo pointed out that there was the remains of a dome-like entrance a couple blocks down, which we thought very interesting. We didn't realize 'til he told us that the two dome entrances used to be part of the same building. Our mouths dropped wide open when he told us that the Romans started building the Baths of Diocletian in 298 AD and was completed in 306 AD as a public bathhouse. The baths also had bars, libraries, barbershops, sports facilities, exercise and gymnastics areas, an observatory, and brothels... (You may not want to find the definition of that.) The bathhouse was as big as the four blocks that are currently in that area of Rome, and that is why the two dome entrances were part of the same monstrous building. This building was so huge, but it didn't seem too huge to the guests. The baths could fit 3,000 guests, which was enough for such a crowded city. The richer people of ancient Rome did not go to The Baths of Diocletian because they had their own baths, there was no need. 

After that we walked outside to the back of the baths, where the natatio (swimming pool) used to be. We found chunks of marble still on the brick, not-so-appealing walls. Filippo told us that it was the skeleton of the building, and that these large holes in the skeleton were places where the Romans inserted blocks of iron into, that was attached to the marble. That was how the Romans got the marble to stay on the skeleton of the building. But, that strategy made the marble super easy to remove. Later in time, ancient buildings became like storage areas, and the Romans removed most of the marble to be used for newer sculptures and buildings. Did you know that on the roof of the Pantheon all the marble was taken off for another building? And that a famous fountain that used to welcome tourists into Rome, had also been stripped of its marble? It's kind of a scary thought. Later, back inside, we were welcomed into the baths again by the cool air-conditioning. On our way out, Filippo had us knock on one of the columns -- it was hard as a rock. Or, well, marble. When we knocked on another column, we were surprised to find that it was hollow. Filippo said that the pure marble columns were extremely difficult to make, and transport to Rome, so the people who refurnished the baths just made fake ones. We then took our last looks at building that once was the main hang-out in Rome, and walked out and back into our van. Off to our next destination...