Baths of Caracalla

The Baths of Caracalls were built from 212-216 A.D. by Emperor Caracalla (this was after he had his brother killed so he could be sole emperor....) and were one of the most peaceful places we visited while in Rome.  The are a bit away from everything else, so they are quieter and there are fewer people around as well.  This was the social place to be of the time and it did include bathing in a variety of different temperatures of water, starting with really hot in the caldarium and finishing with a dip in the cold frigidarium before having a relaxing swim and getting together to talk business with people in the library or gymnasiums or gardens.  The kids had a great time with the mounted police officers we saw while we were here - they did speak English so they talked about the horses a bit before they had to move on to continue their patrol.