Archaeological Site
The Baths and the Lupanar
Pompeii · Campania
QUICK INFORMATION
- CATEGORY
- Archaeological Site
- COUNTRY
- Italy
- REGION
- Pompeii · Campania
- DURATION
- Half a day – 1 day
ABOUT THIS ATTRACTION
The baths and the Lupanar are the buildings that show the everyday private life of Roman Pompeii most directly. The Forum Baths, near the Forum, are the best-preserved of the city’s bath complexes, with their caldarium, tepidarium and frigidarium, their vaulted brick ceilings and their stucco decoration; the Central Baths, unfinished at the time of the eruption, show the larger imperial-style baths that were being built after the AD 62 earthquake. The Lupanar, the city’s purpose-built brothel, is a two-storey building of small rooms with stone beds and explicit frescoes above the doorways, its walls covered with the graffiti of its customers. Together they are the most intimate record of Roman daily life to survive anywhere.
HISTORY & BACKGROUND
The story behind it
Pompeii had several public bath complexes, of which the Forum Baths (the Terme del Foro) are the best preserved, built in the early 1st century BC and decorated with stucco vaults. The Central Baths were under construction at the time of the eruption, part of the rebuilding after the AD 62 earthquake, and they were never completed. The Lupanar, the only purpose-built brothel excavated at Pompeii, was a two-storey building with five rooms on each floor, each with a masonry bed and a fresco above the doorway; the walls carry the graffiti of the customers and the workers, the most direct record of ordinary Roman writing to survive.
WHAT TO SEE
What to see here
The Forum Baths — the caldarium, tepidarium and frigidarium, with their vaulted ceilings and stucco decoration.
The Central Baths — the unfinished imperial-style baths, showing the rebuilding after the AD 62 earthquake.
The Lupanar — the purpose-built brothel, with its stone beds, its explicit frescoes and its graffiti.
The hypocaust — the underfloor heating system of the baths, visible beneath the raised floor.
WHY IT MATTERS
Why it matters
The baths and the Lupanar are the buildings that show Roman private life most directly — the daily ritual of the baths, and the most intimate of the city’s services. For a visitor, they are the sights that most clearly connect the ruins to the people who used them, because the baths and the brothel are the buildings whose function a modern visitor can most immediately recognise.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before you go
MAP & LOCATION
The Baths and the Lupanar
The Baths and the Lupanar, Pompeii, Campania, Italy
40.7489, 14.4872
MORE ATTRACTIONS
More to see in Pompeii
%22%2F%3E%3Ccircle%20cx%3D%22600%22%20cy%3D%22300%22%20r%3D%2290%22%20fill%3D%22%23c8a06a%22%20opacity%3D%220.35%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M0%20620%20L300%20420%20L520%20560%20L760%20360%20L1000%20540%20L1200%20460%20L1200%20800%20L0%20800%20Z%22%20fill%3D%22%23a97c50%22%20opacity%3D%220.22%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M0%20700%20L260%20540%20L480%20640%20L720%20500%20L980%20620%20L1200%20560%20L1200%20800%20L0%20800%20Z%22%20fill%3D%22%2320241f%22%20opacity%3D%220.14%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E)
THINGS TO DO
Things to do nearby
FOOD & DRINK
Where to eat nearby
Forum — a restaurant near the Pompeii entrance, for a quick pasta and a glass of Lacryma Christi wine
President — a long-standing restaurant near the ruins, for classic Campanian cooking, book ahead
Kytta — a pizzeria near the Pompeii Scavi station, for a pizza after the ruins
Villa dei Misteri — a restaurant and wine bar near the Villa dei Misteri entrance, for the local Vesuvius wines
Lupanar Burger — a casual burger and beer spot near the entrance, for a quick meal
HOTELS & STAYS
Where to stay nearby
Hotel Forum — a hotel in modern Pompei town, near the ruins, with a rooftop and a restaurant
Hotel Vittoria — a hotel near the Pompeii entrance, with a garden and views of Vesuvius
Hotel Maiuri — a comfortable hotel near the ruins, named after the archaeologist Amedeo Maiuri
Resort & Winery Villa dei Misteri — a vineyard stay near the ruins, with Vesuvius wines and a restaurant
NEARBY DESTINATIONS
Continue the journey
PART OF
Keep exploring
The atlas goes on — more attractions, destinations and stories from every corner of the world.