Geography

​From the whole coast between Poplonium and Pisa, the islands are clearly visible; these three islands are oblong and almost parallel, stretched towards the south and Libya, though Aethalia is far inferior to the others in size. The chorographer says that the shortest crossing from Libya to Sardinia is three hundred miles. After Poplonium is the city of Cosae, slightly above the sea; there is a high hill in a gulf, upon which the town is built. Below it lies the Port of Heracles, and nearby is a lagoon, and by the promontory above the gulf is a tunny-watching station. For the tunny-fish follows not only the acorn but also the purple-fish along the coast, starting from the outer sea and reaching even to Sicily. For those who sail along the coast from Cosae to Ostia, there are the small towns of Graviscae, Pyrgi, Alsium, and Fregenae. To Graviscae, indeed, it is three hundred stadia, and in the intervening space is a place called Regisvilla; this is recorded to have been the palace of Maleos the Pelasgian, who they say, having ruled in these places with the Pelasgians who settled with him, departed from here to Athens; and to this tribe belong also those who occupied Agylla. From Graviscae to Pyrgi is slightly less than one hundred and eighty stadia, and it is the port of the Caeretani, thirty stadia away. It has a temple of Eileithyia, a foundation of the Pelasgians, which was once wealthy; Dionysius, the tyrant of the Siceliotes, plundered it during his voyage to Kyrnos. From Pyrgi to Ostia is two hundred and sixty stadia; and in the intervening space are Alsium and Fregenae. Concerning the Tyrrhenian coast, then, this is all.

​In the interior, in addition to the cities already mentioned, are Arretium, Perusia, Volsinii, and Sutrium; and besides these are numerous small towns, Blera, Ferentinum, Falerii, Faliscum, Nepete, Statonia, and many others, some surviving from the beginning, and others established or reduced by the Romans, just like Veii and Fidenae, which warred against them many times. Some say that the people of Falerii are not Tyrrhenians but Falisci, a distinct tribe; and some say that Faliscum is a city with its own language; others speak of Aequum Faliscum situated on the Flaminian Way between Ocricula and Rome. Under Mount Soracte is the city of Feronia, having the same name as a certain local goddess who is highly revered by the surrounding inhabitants, whose sacred precinct is in that place, possessing a wonderful sacred rite; for those possessed by this goddess walk with bare feet over a great heap of burning coals and ashes without receiving any harm, and a multitude of people assemble at the same time for the sake of the festival, which is celebrated annually, and for the sake of the aforementioned spectacle. Arretium is situated most inland, near the mountains; at any rate, it is distant from Rome one thousand two hundred stadia, and Clusium eight hundred; and near these is also Perusia. Greatly contributing to the prosperity of the country are the lakes, which are both large and numerous; for they are navigated and they nourish much fish and many lake-birds; and bulrushes, papyrus, and much anthele are carried down by the rivers which empty from the lakes into the Tiber as far as Rome, among which are Ciminia, the lake around Volsinii, the lake around Clusium, and Sabata, which is closest to Rome and the sea; but the furthest and indeed near Arretium is Trasumenna, along which run the passes from Celtic territory into Tyrrhenia for armies, which Hannibal also used, there being two of them, this one and the one to Ariminum through Umbria. Now the pass to Ariminum is better, for there the mountains are considerably lower; but as these passes were carefully guarded, he was forced to choose the more difficult one, and nevertheless prevailed after defeating Flaminius in great battles. There is also a great abundance of warm waters throughout Tyrrhenia, and they are no less crowded with people than those in Baiae, which are far more celebrated than all others.