A wall of magical images, a chorus chanting rituals of the remote past and a soon-to-be-open cafeteria on a panoramic terrace are only some of the innovations introduced to stimulate the imagination and enhance the experience of visitors to the Museo Nazionale Romano inside the ruins of the Baths of Diocletian.
The museum, near Rome's Termini station, occupies a portion of the original 13 hectares of the Baths, built by the Emperor Diocletian between 298 and 306 AD. Opened in 1890, for many years the museum acted as a major deposit for thousands of Roman antiquities, many of which have since been distributed between the collections of Palazzo Altemps, Palazzo Massimo, the Balbi Crypt and the Palatino Museum.
The Baths were the biggest and most luxurious in ancient Rome, covering the area now occupied by the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli and the present Piazza della Repubblica, which has preserved the hemicyclical form that delimited the far end of the Terme. The bathing establishments were a crucial feature of the daily life of the Romans and rivalled the spas of today with the facilites on offer. These included (to use modern terms) saunas, swimming pool, massage parlours and fitness areas. In addition, they catered for other leisure pursuits. They had libraries, gardens, seminars and discussion groups, as well as precious works of fine art on display.
The museum is set in the heart of the ruins and has recently undergone an extensive programme of revision and restoration. Novelties introduced by the team led by curator Rosanna Friggeri and superintendent Mariarosaria Barbera include the use of modern multimedial aids to bring the vision of the ruins alive. Visitors can now get a good idea of what the frigidarium, or Great Pool, originally looked like. It was backed by a monumental wall, covered in columns, niches and sculptures like a theatrical backdrop. In the adjoining hall, full-size wall projections reproduce its original appearance, with glittering blue and gold mosaics, polychrome marbles, frescoes, painted statues and gilded charioteers riding atop the columns.
Another important innovation has been the re-opening of the Small Cloister, which occupies about a third of the Great Pool area. The Small Cloister, like the better known Great Cloister attributed to Michaelangelo, was part of the monastery attached to the basilica. The Small Cloister has been set up with the carved marble tablets carrying the detailed description of the rites of the Arval Brothers, one of ancient Rome's most exclusive sects. These are of great importance, Rosanna Friggeri explains, because they are the only complete record that has come down to us of an ancient Roman religious ritual. Touch screen explanations and images enliven the visit, along with the evocative chanting of the litanies, reproduced by a modern choir.
The second floor of the museum contains a series of rooms full of archaeological finds, as well as a panoramic terrace with a sweeping view over the Baths and the Basilica. The plan is to turn the space into a cafeteria. For the past few years, the museum has hosted several exhibitions in Hall XI, including the highly successful Rodin sculpture exposition in spring 2014. At present it is showing the work of celebrated photo-reporter Mario Dondero until 22nd March 2015.
Margaret Stenhouse
Info: www.archeoroma.beniculturali.it/musei/museo-nazionale-romano-terme-diocletiano
For the exhibition:
Tel. ++39.06.39967700- www.coopculture.it
