Bagni di Nerone

The Baths of Nero are the remains of a Roman bath complex at Largo Parlascio, near Pisa’s Porta a Lucca. The surviving hall is square on the outside and octagonal within, a plan identified as a laconicum, or hot-air room.

Why it matters

The name recalls Nero, but the baths date to the final decades of the first century AD, nearly twenty years after the emperor’s death. The name is associated with the local legend of San Torpé. The complex was supplied by the Roman aqueduct of Caldaccoli, whose remains can still be seen near San Giuliano Terme.

What to notice

Four perimeter walls of the brick hall survive. Around them are remains of the palaestra, or exercise area, the apodyterium, or changing room, and two walls of the tepidarium. Together these fragments offer a glimpse of the larger bath complex that once served the Roman settlement.

Context and history

The surviving remains belong to a much larger Roman bathing complex. The baths were not built during Nero’s reign; the story of San Torpé offers a local explanation for their familiar name. Nearby, the Bastione del Parlascio marks another phase in the history of the site, from the medieval city gate to the Renaissance fortification later used as an icehouse and air-raid shelter.