Geography

​Of the other cities of Latium, one might define some by other characteristics, and others by the most well-known roads as many as are paved through Latium; for they are situated either upon these roads, or beside them, or between them. The most well-known of the roads are the Appian, the Latin, and the Valerian; the first defining the parts of Latium toward the sea as far as Sinuessa, the second the parts near Sabina as far as the Marsi, and the Latin being between them, which joins the Appian near Casilinum, a city nineteen stadia distant from Capua. It begins from the Appian, branching off from it to the left near Rome, then after crossing the Tusculan hill between the city of Tusculum and the Alban mount, it goes down to the small town of Algidus and the inn of Pictae. Then the Labican also joins it, which begins from the Esquiline gate (from which also the Praenestine begins), and leaving both this and the Esquiline plain on the left, it proceeds for more than one hundred and twenty stadia, and approaching the ancient settlement of Labicum, which is in ruins and situated on a height, it leaves this and Tusculum on the right, and ends at Pictae and the Latin road; and this place is distant from Rome two hundred and ten stadia. Next, in order upon the Latin road itself, there are notable settlements and cities: Ferentinum, Frusino, past which flows the river Cosas, Fabrateria, past which flows the Trerus, Aquinum, a great city, past which flows the great river Melpis, Interamnium, situated at the confluence of two rivers, the Liris and another, and Casinum, this too a noteworthy city, the last of the Latins; for Teanum, called Sidicinum, which lies next, is shown by its epithet to belong to the Sidicini. These are Oscans, an extinct tribe of the Campanians, so that this too might be said to belong to Campania, being the largest of the cities on the Latin road. And the next, that of the Caleni, is also noteworthy, joining Casilinum.

​On either side of the Latin road, on the right, are those between it and the Appian, Setia and Signia, which produce wine, the former one of the expensive kinds, and the latter the kind called Signine, which is most astringent for the stomach. In addition to these are Privernum, Cora, Suessa, Trapontium, Velitrae, and Aletrium; and also Fregellae, past which flows the Liris, which empties into Minturnae—now indeed a village, but once having been a noteworthy city, and formerly having held most of the newly mentioned places as neighboring dependencies, which now assemble in it to hold markets and perform certain sacred rites; but it was destroyed by the Romans because it revolted. Most of these, both of those on the Latin road and of those beyond it situated in the territory of the Hernici, Aequi, and Volsci, are foundations of the Romans. On the left of the Latin road are those between it and the Valerian: Gabii, situated on the Praenestine road, having a quarry that serves Rome more than any other, distant an equal space from both Rome and Praeneste, about one hundred stadia; then Praeneste, of which we shall speak immediately; then those in the mountains above Praeneste, namely the small town of the Hernici, Capitulum, and the noteworthy city Anagnia, and Cereate, and Sora, past which the Liris flows on its way to Fregellae and Minturnae. Then certain other places and Venafrum, from where comes the finest olive oil; the city indeed lies on a height, and past the foot of the hill flows the Volturnus, which, after being carried also past Casilinum, empties at the city of the same name. Aesernia and Allifae are already Samnite cities, the former having been destroyed during the Marsic war, while the latter still remains.