"As a monumental complex built between 298 and 306 AD, the Terme di Diocleziano are unique in terms of their size and state of preservation. Spread over 13 hectares, they were able to accommodate over 3,000 people. The structure adhered to the classic layout of Imperial baths, with a caldarium, tepidarium, and frigidarium set along a central axis. The natatio, a 4 000m² outdoor swimming pool, and the vast symmetrical gymnasiums add to the majesty of the site. In operation until the 6th century, the thermal baths were then abandoned until 1561, when Pope Pius IV commissioned Michelangelo to convert them into a church and a Carthusian monastery." - The MICHELIN Guide