Once when I toured the Forum in Rome, our guide told us that Roman citizens did not have to work, so they spent the day in the Forum, where meals and baths and gymnasiums were available for free. I've believed this over the years, but I have never found anything to document this.

From what I've been able to find, Romans bought their food and prepared it at home. Is there any truth to what my tour guide said?

I'm working as a Latin tutor and correcting a paper on everyday life in ancient Rome, so it would be helpful if I could prove or disprove what I was told by my tour guide.

-Joe-