Imposing beyond imagining, and bewilderingly almost always deserted, the Baths of Caracalla are among my very favourite places to take people to experience the sheer scale of Roman building. Eighteen centuries ago a dedicated aqueduct provided water in vast quantities that Romans of all stripes might splash about (and be distracted from starting revolution) amid one of the most imposing monuments of Imperial Rome.
The Baths of Caracalla features on my tour Roads and Water: The Infrastructure of the Ancient City














