The cityscape

The Baths of Diocletian are located in Rione XVIII - Castro Pretorio, Rome, Italy, on the crest of the Viminal Hill, overlooking the city. This thickly populated area of the city near the Castra Praetoria has been 'ignored' by public amenities for a while. While at the time the rest of the imperial baths (Nero, Trajan, Caracalla) were still functioning, with the construction of the Aurelian Walls in 271-275 AD the protected area of the city grew considerably and a need for more baths in this part of town was evident.

By the 300's the area was densely built-up and a large amount of private property had to be bought, as well as some streets rerouted for the baths construction.