πόλεις δʼ εἰσὶν ἐντὸς τοῦ Πάδου καὶ περὶ τὸν Πάδον ἐπιφανεῖς Πλακεντία μὲν καὶ Κρεμώνη πλησιαίταται κατὰ μέσην που τὴν χώραν, μεταξὺ δὲ τούτων τε καὶ Ἀριμίνου Πάρμα καὶ Μουτίνη καὶ Βονωνία πλησίον ἤδη Ῥαουέννης καὶ μικρὰ πολίσματα ἀνὰ μέσον τούτων διʼ ὧν ἡ εἰς Ῥώμην ὁδός, Ἄγκαρα Ῥήγιον Λέπιδον Μακροὶ Κάμποι, ὅπου πανήγυρις συντελεῖται κατʼ ἔτος, Κλάτερνα Φόρον Κορνήλιον, Φαουεντία δὲ Καισήνα πρὸς τῷ Σάπι ποταμῷ καὶ τῷ Ῥουβίκωνι ἤδη συνάπτουσι τῷ Ἀριμίνῳ. τὸ δὲ Ἀρίμινον Ὄμβρων ἐστὶ κατοικία, καθάπερ καὶ ἡ Ῥάουεννα· δέδεκται δʼ ἐποίκους Ῥωμαίους ἑκατέρα. ἔχει δὲ τὸ Ἀρίμινον λιμένα καὶ ὁμώνυμον ποταμόν. ἀπὸ δὲ Πλακεντίας εἰς Ἀρίμινον στάδιοι χίλιοι τριακόσιοι. ὑπὲρ δὲ Πλακεντίας ἐπὶ μὲν τοὺς ὅρους τῆς Κοττίου γῆς Τικῖνον ἐν τριάκοντα ἓξ μιλίοις πόλις, καὶ ὁμώνυμος ὁ παραρρέων ποταμὸς συμβάλλων τῷ Πάδῳ, καὶ Κλαστίδιον καὶ Δέρθων καὶ Ἀκουαιστατιέλλαι μικρὸν ἐν παρόδῳ. ἡ δʼ εὐθεῖα εἰς Ὤκελον παρὰ τὸν Πάδον καὶ τὸν Δουρίαν ποταμὸν βαραθρώδης ἡ πολλή, πλείους καὶ ἄλλους ἔχουσα ποταμούς, ὧν καὶ τὸν Δρουεντίαν, μιλίων ἐστὶ περὶ ἑξήκοντα. ἐντεῦθεν δὲ ἤδη τὰ Ἄλπεια ὄρη καὶ ἡ Κελτική. ἔστι δὲ ἡ Δέρθων πόλις ἀξιόλογος κειμένη κατὰ μέσην τὴν ὁδὸν τὴν ἀπὸ Γενούας εἰς Πλακεντίαν, ἑκατέρας διέχουσα σταδίους τετρακοσίους· κατὰ δὲ ταύτην τὴν ὁδὸν καὶ Ἀκουαιστατιέλλαι. ἀπὸ δὲ Πλακεντίας εἰς μὲν Ἀρίμινον εἴρηται· εἰς δὲ Ῥάουενναν κατάπλους τῷ Πάδῳ δυεῖν ἡμερῶν καὶ νυκτῶν. πολὺ δὲ καὶ τῆς ἐντὸς τοῦ Πάδου κατείχετο ὑπὸ ἑλῶν, διʼ ὧν Ἀννίβας χαλεπῶς διῆλθε προϊὼν ἐπὶ Τυρρηνίαν· ἀλλʼ ἀνέψυξε τὰ πεδία ὁ Σκαῦρος διώρυγας πλωτὰς ἀπὸ τοῦ Πάδου μέχρι Πάρμης ἄγων. κατὰ γὰρ Πλακεντίαν ὁ Τρεβίας συμβάλλων τῷ Πάδῳ καὶ ἔτι πρότερον ἄλλοι πλείους πληροῦσι πέραν τοῦ μετρίου. οὗτος δὲ ὁ Σκαῦρος ἐστὶν ὁ καὶ τὴν Αἰμιλίαν ὁδὸν στρώσας τὴν διὰ Πισῶν καὶ Λούνης μέχρι Σαβάτων κἀντεῦθεν διὰ Δέρθωνος· ἄλλη δʼ ἐστὶν Αἰμιλία διαδεχομένη τὴν Φλαμινίαν. συνυπάτευσαν γὰρ ἀλλήλοις Μάρκος Λέπιδος καὶ Γάιος Φλαμίνιος· καθελόντες δὲ Λίγυας ὁ μὲν τὴν Φλαμινίαν ἔστρωσεν ἐκ Ῥώμης διὰ Τυρρηνῶν καὶ τῆς Ὀμβρικῆς μέχρι τῶν περὶ Ἀρίμινον τόπων, ὁ δὲ τὴν ἑξῆς μέχρι Βονωνίας κἀκεῖθεν εἰς Ἀκυληίαν παρὰ τὰς ῥίζας τὰς τῶν Ἄλπεων ἐγκυκλούμενος τὰ ἕλη. ὅριον δὲ τῆς χώρας ταύτης, ἣν ἐντὸς Κελτικὴν καλοῦμεν, πρὸς τὴν λοιπὴν Ἰταλίαν τό τε Ἀπέννινον ὄρος τὸ ὑπὲρ τῆς Τυρρηνίας ἀπεδέδεικτο καὶ ὁ Αἶσις ποταμός, ὕστερον δὲ ὁ Ῥουβίκων, εἰς τὸν Ἀδρίαν ἐκδιδόντες ἀμφότεροι.
Both in Cispadana and around the Po there are some fine cities. Placentia and Cremona, situated about the middle of the country, are close to each other. Between these and Ariminum, are Parma, Mutina, and Bononia, which is near to Ravenna; amongst these are smaller cities on the route to Rome, as Acara, Rhegium-Lepidum, Macri-Campi, where a public festival is held every year, Claterna, Forum-Cornelium; while Faventia and Caesena, situated near to the river Savio and the Rubicon, are adjacent to Ariminum. Ariminum, like Ravenna, is an ancient colony of the Ombri. but both of them have received also Roman colonies. Anminum has a port and a river of the same name as itself. From Placentia to Ariminum there are 1300 stadia. About 36 miles above Placentia, towards the boundaries of the kingdom of Cottius, is the city of Ticinum, by which flows a river bearing the same name, which falls into the Po, while a little out of the route are Clastidium, Derthon, and Aquae-Statiellae. But the direct route as far as Ocelum, along the Po and the Doria Riparia, is full of precipices, intersected by numerous other rivers, one of which is the Durance, and is about 160 miles long. Here commence the Alpine mountains and Keltica. Near to the mountains above Luna is the city of Lucca. Some [of the people of this part of Italy] dwell in villages, nevertheless it is well populated, and furnishes the greater part of the military force, and of equites, of whom the senate is partly composed. Derthon is a considerable city, situated about half way on the road from Genoa to Placentia, which are distant 400 stadia from each other. Aquae-Statiellae is on the same route. That from Placentia to Ariminum we have already described, but the sail to Ravenna down the Po requires two days and nights. A great part of Cispadana likewise was covered by marshes, through which Hannibal passed with difficulty on his march into Tyrrhenia. But Scaurus drained the plains by navigable canals from the Po to the country of the Parmesans. For the Trebia meeting the Po near Placentia, and having previously received many other rivers, is over-swollen near this place. I allude to the Scaurus who also made the Aemilian road through Pisa and Luna as far as Sabbatorum, and thence through Derthon. There is another Aemilian road, which continues the Flaminian. For Marcus Lepidus and Caius Flaminius being colleagues in the consulship, and having vanquished the Ligurians, the one made the Via Flaminia from Rome across Tyrrhenia and Ombrica as far as the territory of Ariminum, the other, the road as far as Bononia, and thence to Aquileia by the roots of the Alps, and encircling the marshes. The boundaries which separate from the rest of Italy this country, which we designate Citerior Keltica, were marked by the Apennine mountains above Tyrrhenia and the river Esino, and afterwards by the Rubicon. Both these rivers fall into the Adriatic.
τῆς δʼ ἀρετῆς τῶν τόπων τεκμήριον ἥ τʼ εὐανδρία καὶ τὰ μεγέθη τῶν πόλεων καὶ ὁ πλοῦτος, οἷς πᾶσιν ὑπερβέβληνται τὴν ἄλλην Ἰταλίαν οἱ ταύτῃ Ῥωμαῖοι. καὶ γὰρ ἡ γεωργουμένη γῆ πολλοὺς καὶ παντοίους ἐκφέρει καρπούς, καὶ αἱ ὗλαι τοσαύτην ἔχουσι βάλανον ὥστʼ ἐκ τῶν ἐντεῦθεν ὑοφορβίων ἡ Ῥώμη τρέφεται τὸ πλέον. ἔστι δὲ καὶ κεγχροφόρος διαφερόντως διὰ τὴν εὐυδρίαν· τοῦτο δὲ λιμοῦ μέγιστόν ἐστιν ἄκος· πρὸς ἅπαντας γὰρ καιροὺς ἀέρων ἀντέχει καὶ οὐδέποτʼ ἐπιλείπειν δύναται, κἂν τοῦ ἄλλου σίτου γένηται σπάνις. ἔχει δὲ καὶ πιττουργεῖα θαυμαστά. τοῦ δʼ οἴνου τὸ πλῆθος μηνύουσιν οἱ πίθοι· ξύλινοι γὰρ μείζους οἴκων εἰσί· προσλαμβάνει δὲ πολὺ ἡ τῆς πίττης εὐπορία πρὸς τὸ εὐκώνητον. ἐρέαν δὲ τὴν μὲν μαλακὴν οἱ περὶ Μουτίνην τόποι καὶ τὸν Σκουλτάνναν ποταμὸν φέρουσι πολὺ πασῶν καλλίστην, τὴν δὲ τραχεῖαν ἡ Λιγυστικὴ καὶ ἡ τῶν Ἰνσούβρων, ἐξ ἧς τὸ πλέον τῆς οἰκετείας τῶν Ἰταλιωτῶν ἀμπέχεται, τὴν δὲ μέσην οἱ περὶ Πατάουιον, ἐξ ἧς οἱ τάπητες οἱ πολυτελεῖς καὶ γαυσάπαι καὶ τὸ τοιοῦτον εἶδος πᾶν, ἀμφίμαλλόν τε καὶ ἑτερόμαλλον. τὰ δὲ μέταλλα νυνὶ μὲν οὐχ ὁμοίως ἐνταῦθα σπουδάζεται διὰ τὸ λυσιτελέστερα ἴσως εἶναι τὰ ἐν τοῖς ὑπεραλπείοις Κελτοῖς καὶ τῇ Ἰβηρίᾳ, πρότερον δὲ ἐσπουδάζετο, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐν Ὀυερκέλλοις χρυσωρυχεῖον ἦν· κώμη δʼ ἐστὶ πλησίον Ἰκτουμούλων, καὶ ταύτης κώμης, ἄμφω δʼ εἰσὶ περὶ Πλακεντίαν. αὕτη μὲν δὴ ἡ πρώτη μερὶς τῆς Ἰταλίας μέχρι δεῦρο περιωδεύσθω.
The fertility of this country is proved by its population, the size of its cities, and its wealth, in all of which the Romans of this country surpass the rest of Italy. The cultivated land produces fruits in abundance and of every kind, and the woods contain such abundance of mast, that Rome is principally supplied from the swine fed there. Being well supplied with water, millet grows there in perfection. This affords the greatest security against famine, inasmuch as millet resists any inclemency of the atmosphere, and never fails, even when there is scarcity of other kinds of grain. Their pitch-works are amazing, and their casks give evidence of the abundance of wine: these are made of wood, and are larger than houses, and the great supply of pitch allows them to be sold cheap. The soft wool and by far the best is produced in the country round Mutina and the river Panaro; while the coarse wool, which forms the main article of clothing amongst the slaves in Italy, is produced in Liguria and the country of the Symbri. There is a middling kind grown about Patavium, of which the finer carpets, gausapi, and every thing else of the same sort, whether with the wool on one or on both sides, are made. The mines are not worked now so diligently, because not equally profitable with those of Transalpine Keltica and Iberia; but formerly they must have been, since there were gold-diggings even in Vercelli, near to Ictimuli, both which villages are near to Placentia. Here we finish our description of the first part of Italy, and pass on to the second.
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