Rome - February 28: more ruins and even a pyramid

More walking brought us to the Circus Maximus, next to the ruins of the Imperial Palace. We wandered around here for a while, checking things out...

  

Also here are the ruins of the Baths of Caracalla. This place is enormous, and after reading a bit about the Roman public baths (which apparently included libraries, art galleries, cafes and even brothels, in addition to the various pools) we concluded that it was really more like a community centre than simply a place to take a bath. This site was closed when we were there, but I'm sure it would have been interesting to go inside.

Another sight not quite expected in the city of Rome (except that I had read about it before coming) was this pyramid -- the Pyramid of Cestius, built in BC 18-12. It stands, rather incongruously, on a street corner, right in the middle of a busy intersection.