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the Via Flaminia, lying between Ocricli note and Rome. Below
Mount Soracte note is the city of Feronia, having the same name
as a certain goddess of the country, highly reverenced by
the surrounding people: here is her temple, in which a remarkable ceremony is performed, for those possessed by the
divinity pass over a large bed of burning coal and ashes barefoot, unhurt. A great concourse of people assemble to assist
at the festival, which is celebrated yearly, and to see the
said spectacle. Arretium, note near the mountains, is the most
inland city: it is distant from Rome 1200 stadia: from
Clusium note [to Rome] is 800 stadia. Near to these [two cities]
is Perusia. note The large and numerous lakes add to the fertility
of this country, note they are navigable, and stocked with fish and
aquatic birds. Large quantities of typha, note papyrus, and
anthela note are transported to Rome, up the rivers which flow
from these lakes to the Tiber. Among these are the lake
Ciminius, note and those near the Volsinii, note and Clusium, note and
Sabatus, note which is nearest to Rome and the sea, and the farthest Trasumennus, note near Arretium. Along this is the pass by
which armies can proceed from [Cisalpine] Keltica into Tyrrhenia; this is the one followed by Hannibal. There are two;
the other leads towards Ariminum across Ombrica, and is
preferable as the mountains are considerably lower; however, as this was carefully guarded, Hannibal was compelled to take the more difficult, which he succeeded in
forcing after having vanquished Flaminius in a decisive engagement. There are likewise in Tyrrhenia numerous hot
springs, which on account of their proximity to Rome, are
not less frequented than those of Baiae, which are the most
famous of all.
10
Ombrica lies along the eastern boundary of Tyrrhenia,
and commencing from the Apennines, or rather beyond those
mountains, [extends] as far as the Adriatic. For com-
