Sunday, January 20, 2013

Ancient Underground Rome

Over the years the city of Rome has been making an increasing number of its unique archaeological sites accessible to visitors. The latest site to be opened includes the underground tunnels beneath the ruins of the Caracalla baths. These tunnels, built in the third century A.D., are remarkably large, about 20 feet high, and extend for well over a mile under the city. (See the photo below.) They were used largely by slaves who moved about beneath the baths maintaining the ovens that heated the water for the baths. You can read more here.


Rome is a city with an almost inexhaustible number of fascinating places to visit. We've made four visits during the past decade and have barely scratched the surface. Now we have another interesting site to take in under the surface. Below is a brief video describing the tunnels...



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