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The impressive ruins
of the Roman city of Carsulae are located a short distance
from Terni and from the town of San Gemini, known for
its mineral springs. Carsulae grew up along the via Flaminia,
which was built in 220-219 B.C. and connected Rome to
the Adriatic Sea. The road attracted the settlement of
pre-Roman inhabitants from the surrounding hills. The
beauty of the site is mentioned by Tacitus and the Younger
Pliny. The town was abandoned after a severe earthquake
and never built over, so many important structures, including
twin temples, and amphitheater, a theater, the Arch of
San Damiano, and monumental tombs, as well as the ancient
urban plan, remain well preserved. |
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The Roman baths, which lie at the threshold of the southern
entrance to the city, were excavated in the 1950s by the
then-superintendent of archaeology, Umberto Ciotti. The
site has lain exposed since then. The goals of the project
are to consolidate the exposed remains and to explore
the structure further in order to determine its full plan
and its possible distinctive function as a place of healing.
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