Archaeologists in Italy have completed the underwater excavation of a remarkably preserved thermal bath complex in the ancient Roman city of Baiae, once one of the empire’s most luxurious coastal resorts.
The site lies three meters (10 feet) below the surface in Zone B of the Baia Underwater Park, part of the sunken remains of Portus Iulius in the Gulf of Naples. Researchers first identified the structure in 2023, but have only now documented its exceptional state of preservation.
The bath, a Roman sauna known as a laconicum, retains its mosaic floor intact, still supported by the pilae of the suspensurae system. Along with wall tubuli, this arrangement allowed hot air to circulate — an advanced heating method for its time.
Ceramic finds under study
Ceramic materials recovered during the excavation are now being analyzed. Experts believe these fragments could reveal when the complex was built and how it met its end. Historical records suggest the baths may have been part of Cicero’s villa.
The famed orator and politician, like other elite Romans, was known to visit Baiae for leisure and the reputed healing properties of its thermal waters.
Links to Greek heritage
Although Baiae flourished under Rome, its roots reach into the Greek world. The city lies within the area once known as Magna Graecia, settled by Greek colonists centuries before the rise of Rome.
According to ancient legend, its name comes from Baius (Greek: Βαῖος), the helmsman of Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey, whose tomb was believed to be nearby.
A city of luxury, now underwater
Baiae, located on the northwestern coast of the Gulf of Naples, became a favored retreat for Rome’s wealthy and powerful. From the 2nd century BC, its sulfur-rich springs attracted politicians, generals, and emperors, including Julius Caesar, Augustus, and Nero. The city’s reputation for indulgence rivaled — and often surpassed — that of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Much of Baiae now lies beneath the sea, the result of centuries of volcanic activity and seismic shifts between the 16th and 18th centuries. Today, its submerged streets, villas, mosaics, and statues form one of the Mediterranean’s most distinctive underwater archaeological parks. Visitors can explore the site by diving or on boats with glass bottoms.
Restoration plans ahead
Work on the newly excavated laconicum will resume in the autumn. Conservators plan to clean the mosaic floor, which is partially covered by mortar concretions, and preserve traces of wall paintings that have survived centuries underwater.
Researchers say each detail uncovered could help confirm the site’s link to Cicero’s villa — a discovery that would add a new chapter to Baiae’s history, where Greek legend and Roman luxury met beneath the sun of the Gulf of Naples.
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