Hadria, which gives name to the Hadriatic. It was formerly an important sea-port, but is now, from the accumulation of mud brought down by the rivers, about 18 miles inland, and had become insignificant in the time of Strabo. Indeed, the whole North-western coast of the Hadriatic has considerably advanced. North-east of Patavium, was Altinum, now Altino, formerly a place of great trade, owing to the security afforded from storms and piracy, through its ample water communication by the many branches of the Po. Martial compares the splendour of its villas to those of Baiæ.* It was destroyed by Attila, when its inhabitants betook themselves to the islands of the neighbouring lagunes, and founded the city of Venice. Among the Carni are Forum Julii, now Friuli, and to the south Aquileia, which still retains its name, but not its consequence. On the Sinus Tergestinus, east of Aquileia, is the little river Timavus, and then Tergeste, now Trieste, in Carniola. South of this, at the extremity of the peninsula of Histria, was Pola, which retains its name. The principal mountains of Northern Italy are the Alps, which in various parts of their course received various denominations. Near the Varus, or Var, at the Western extremity of Liguria, they were called the Alpes Maritimæ, or Maritime Alps. Advancing in a northern direction, they were called the Alpes Cottiæ, from Cottius a king of that district, now Mount Genevre.† Still north, where they begin to turn to the east, Alpes Graiæ, now Little St. Bernard. Then Alpes Summæ or Penninæ (from Pen, a summit), now Great St. Bernard and St. Gothard. Still eastward were the Alpes Lepontiæ, which separate Italy from the Helvetii, or Swiss; Alpes Rhæticæ, which separate it from Rhætia and Vindelicia, now the country of the Grisons; and the Alpes Carnicæ, and Julia, which separate it from Noricum and Mart. IV. 25. * Emula Baianis Altini littora villis. †This was once thought the most probable passage of Hannibal into Italy, but recent investigation gives it in favour of the Little St. Bernard. M Pannonia, now the Tyrol, Carinthia, and Styria. The Apennines branch off from the Maritime Alps, and sweeping eastward run nearly through the middle of the whole of Italy, from north to south. The rivers in Gallia Cisalpina are, the Padus or Po, called also Eridanus*, which rises in Mons Vesulus, now Monte Viso, among the Cottian Alps, and runs from west to east through the middle of the country, till it falls by many mouths into the Adriatic below Hadria. It receives upon its northern bank the Ticinus, or Ticino, on whose banks the Romans were defeated by Hannibal the same year with their defeat at the Trebia. It rises not far from the Rhone, among the Lepontine Alps, and flows through the Lacus Verbanus, now Lago Maggiore, into the Po, near Ticinum, or Pavia. The Mincius†, or Mincio, rises south-east of the country of the Genauni, mentioned by Horace as subdued by Drusus‡, flows through the lake Benacus §, or Lago di Garda, celebrated by Virgil, and falls into the Po below Mantua. The principal tributary of the Po from the south is the Trebia, already mentioned, which falls into the Po, in Gallia Cispadana, near Placentia. The Athesis ||, or Adige, rises in the Rhætian Alps, and flowing by Verona, falls into the Adriatic above the Po. Considerably below Ravenna, and just above the town of Ariminum, or Rimini, is the celebrated stream of * Proluit insano contorquens vortice sylvas Virg. Georg. I. 482. § An mare quod supra memorem, quodque alluit infra, Sive Padi ripis Athesin seu propter amœnum. Virg. Georg. II. 158. Virg. Æn. IX. 680. the Rubicon, now called Fiumesino, a mountain torrent, or rather one of the three which separate Italia Propria from Gallia Cisalpina; it was crossed by Cæsar, when he advanced to make himself master of the Roman empire; and its passage was an act equivalent to a declaration of civil war, as he then entered Italy with his army. The first province in Italia Propria was Etruria, or Tuscia, reaching to the mouth of the Tiber. The Etrurians were called Tyrrheni by the Greeks, and are supposed to have been originally a colony of Mæonians, from Lydia†, and were remarkably addicted to auguries, and soothsaying. In the early days of Rome they seem to have formed a republic of twelve minor states, the chief of which will be mentioned below. East of Etruria were the Umbri, a very acient nation, who were originally settled in Etruria, on the river Umbro, but were driven across the Tiber by the Tyrrheni. Their coast along the Adriatic was * Fonte cadit modico, parvisque impellitur undis Cæsar ut adversam superato gurgite ripan Hic ait, hic, pacem temerataque jura relinquo; Te, Fortuna, sequor Lucan. I. 212. † Hence Horace, addressing Mæcenas, who was descended from the antient Kings of Tuscany : Non quia, Mæcenas, Lydorum quidquid Etruscos Hence Virgil : — Inflavit cum pinguis ebur Tyrrhenus ad aras, Hor. Sat. I. 6. Georg. II. 193. subsequently occupied by the Galli Senones, whose name still remains in Sena Gallica, now Senigaglia. Below these was Picenum, celebrated for its apples.* South of Umbria were the Sabini (Pl. VIII.), separated from Latium by the river Anio, now the Teverone. On the south of the Tiber and Anio was Latium; and on the south bank of the Tiber, just below their junction, is Rome. Below Latium was Campania, and at the back of Latium and Campania were the Samnites. Etruria (Pl. VII.) was bounded upon the north by the Apennines, and on the east by the Tiber. Its principal cities were, Pisæ, near the coast, now Pisa; north of it, Luca, now Lucca; and north-west, on the coast, Luna †, near to Eryx or Lerici upon a beautiful gulf. Below Pisa was the Portus Herculis Liburni, now Livorno or Leghorn; and still southward Populonium, an antient Etruscan city, but not one of the twelve. East of Pisa is Florentia, now Florence, antiently a small place near the larger and more antient city of Fæsulæ, now Fiesole; south-east of Fæsulæ was Arretium Vetus, now Arezzo; below which is Cortona, which keeps its name. South of this is the Lacus Trasimenus, now called the Lago di Perugia, from Perugia, antiently Perusia, near its southeastern extremity. These three were all belonging to the Etruscan Confederation. Near this lake was the memorable defeat of the Romans by Hannibal, B. C. 217, A. U. c. 537. South of Fæsulæ is Sena Julia, now Siena; west of which is Volaterræ, now Volterra; and south-east is Clusium, on the river Clanis. Below Clusium is Volsinii, now Bolsena, where Sejanus was born. These four last-named cities were also *Hence Horace : Picenis cedunt pomis Tiburtia succo. † Est operæ pretium Lunæ cognoscere portum. Sat. II. 4. Ennius. included in the Etruscan confederation. South-east (Pl. VIII.) is Falerii, or Falisci, now a small village, but still called Falari; close to Falerii was Fescennium, memorable for the introduction of a coarse kind of dramatic exhibition. Among the Falisci was Mons Soracte, mentioned by Horace.* West of Falerii, near the coast, is Tarquinii, from whence the Tarquin family came to Rome; and Below Falerii is Veii, now Isola, near La Storta. West of Veii is Careiæ, and still west Cære, or Agylla, now Cer-Veteri, a colony of Pelasgi, and antiently a large and flourishing city. It is celebrated by Virgil for its grove. † Tarquinii, Veii, and Care, were also among the chief states of the antient Etruscans. North-west of Care, on the coast, is the port of Centum Cellæ, now Civita Vecchia, the chief port of modern Rome. The principal Rivers in Etruria are, the Arnus or Arno, which rises in the Apennines, east of Fæsulæ, and making an angle at Arretium, flows into the sea near Pisa. The Umbro, or Ombrone, which rises west of Arretium, and falls into the Mediterranean midway between the Arnus and the Tiber. The Tiber flows principally from north to south, rising in the Umbrian Apennines, and receiving the Clanis, or Chiana, west of Vulsinii. The principal lakes were the Lacus Thrasimenus, mentioned above. The Lacus Vulsiniensis, now Lago di Bolsena, south of it, and the Lacus Sabatinus still southward, now the Lago Bracciano. Umbria extended from the Rubicon to the river Esis, a little above Ancona on the Adriatic, and along the Tiber to Ocriculum. Among the Senones is Ariminum, now Rimini. Below are Pisaurun or Pesaro, Fanum Fortunæ, now Fano, and Sena Gallica, now Senigaglia. Eastward of Perugia, at the western base of the Apennines, is Nuceria, now Nocera ; south-west of which is Mevania, celebrated for its white oxen, * Vides ut alta stet nive candidum Est ingens gelidum lucus prope Cæritis amnem. Hor. Od. I. 9. En. VIII. 597. |