Definition: The most important subdivision of Central Italy was Latium, bordering on the Tyrrhenian Sea. North of it on the same coast was Etruria and to the south was Campania. On the Adriatic coast were Umbria, Picenum, and Samnium.
The cities of Latium were Rome, on the Tiber, and its seaport, Ostia, near the mouth of the same river. Ten miles northwest of Rome was Veii, an Etruscan city, and about the same distance southeast was Alba Longa. Nearly the same distance directly south of Rome, on the coast, was Lavinium, and east-northeast of Rome was Tibur. Neighboring to Alba Longa were Tusculum and the Alban Lake. The Pomptine Marshes were near the coast, in the southern part of Latium. Lake Regillus was near Rome.
