Caracalla allo Specchio

Have you ever wondered, once you have entered the Baths of Caracalla, where was the water that animated them in antiquity? That of the pools and fountains in which the Romans swam, regenerated themselves, physically and mentally, with baths, massages, gyms and saunas, and spent a day in wellness: that mens sana in corpore sano handed down to us by Juvenal's tenth Satire?

Today, your curiosity may be partially satisfied because, after 1,800 years since its construction, the Baths of Caracalla complex is once again hosting its central and founding element: Caracalla allo Specchio.

The contemporary architectural installation, whose pool beautifully harmonises with the architecture of the ancient complex, was created to renew the vitality and power of water at the Baths of Caracalla, a centre for culture and art.

Intentionally built to recall that of the Natatio, the pool features overflowing water on three sides, has a linear shape with an essential profile of 42 x 32 metres, and rises 10 centimetres from the ground.

The water mirror has also been equipped with a stage created to host theatrical performances, conferences, dance shows or classical music concerts, as well as lectures, meetings and lectio magistralis: a sort of theatre of water and on water, with a true scene between art and functionality.

Three sides of the stage feature a linear LED with warm light. The long side, on the other hand, is equipped with a water atomisation system that produces a cloud of vapour which, projected towards the centre of the pool, recalls the imposing calidarium of the complex, evoking the suggestion of ancient heated rooms.

At the bottom of the Specchio, twenty fully submerged jets of water are accompanied by an equal number of reflectors that enhance the play and movement of water and light.

The covering material of the pool, black (Liner), is obviously modern, but its main purpose is to frame, mirror and replicate the monument in order to highlight its grandiose vestiges.

The project develops the desire of the Soprintendenza Speciale di Roma to restore and enhance the monumental complex and gardens of the Baths of Caracalla: a true revolution that begins with the Specchio d'Acqua and will continue with innovative interventions on the entire extension of the archaeological site.

Caracalla allo Specchio, a project of the Special Superintendence of Rome directed by Daniela Porro, is the brainchild of Mirella Serlorenzi, director of the Baths of Caracalla. Caracalla allo Specchio was conceived and designed by architect Hannes Peer and realised in collaboration with architect Paolo Bornello.