Celio and baths of Caracalla

Neighborhood: Celio and baths of Caracalla

Villa Celimontana

The southeast slope of the Colosseum is that of the charming and quiet Caelian Hill (Celio in Italian), one of the Seven Hills of early Rome.

Green spaces and churches

The temples and grand Roman villas of antiquity have today given way to green areas, such as the small Celio Park and the park of Villa Celimontana, which hosts jazz concerts in the summer.
On the other hand, very beautiful churches date back in some cases to the Paleochristian period, such as the circular church of St. Stephen in the Round (Santo Stefano Rotondo) with its striking frescoes of martyrs, the Basilica of Saints John and Paul (Santi Giovanni e Paolo), or the Basilica of the Four Crowned Martyrs (Santi Quattro Coronati).

Remarkable remains of antiquity

Interesting remains of Roman houses can be visited in the undergrounds of the church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, where remarkable frescoes from the early centuries of our era are preserved. They represent an important artistic and cultural testimony of this period of transition between paganism and Christianity.

At the southern foot of the Celio, in the valley were built the Baths of Caracalla, the largest of Rome, a majestic building of which significant remains still stand.