Located at the end of the Falcomatà waterfront and discovered during the reconstruction works following the 1908 earthquake, the Roman Baths are one of the most famous city monuments of Reggio Calabria.

Given its size, its baths were probably part of a private building. The remains reveal more building phases, and, for a long time, they were covered by a Spanish wall tower, the Bastione di San Matteo, which guaranteed its partial conversation. Left of its original layout today is an elliptical bath for hot baths preceded by a series of heated rooms (tepidarium and calidarium), a square bath used for cold baths, and a small, semi-circular dressing room paved in black and white mosaic.

The mosaic, dated 2nd-3rd century AC, is of geometric style, with white limestone and black lava stone tiles that are of Sicilian or Aeolian origin. A small section of the frame also has grey (restoration) tiles. The actual two-colour decoration is limited to the central part of the floor and is framed by a black rectangular frame, which is in turn surrounded by a large white border. The central decorative motif consists of a composition of rows of large elongated hexagons, joined together by the base, which gives rise to intersecting rows of small rhombuses traced in a black on white background.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 2nd century AD
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Italy

More Information

turismo.reggiocal.it

Rating

4.2/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Rita Arigò (2 years ago)
Roman baths on the Reggio waterfront
D B (4 years ago)
Small place but with a lot of history.
Andrea Belcastro (4 years ago)
Interesting. No tickets, you can admire the Roman baths from the road.
Ann F (5 years ago)
A hidden gem.
Anthony Evans (5 years ago)
Awesome
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Château de Foix

The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.

In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians.