Brundisium, Calabria

Most Recent Visit: July 2023 The Roman city of Brundisium (modern Brindisi), located on the Adriatic coast of Calabria (modern Apulia) seems to have begun life as a settlement of the Messapi; though legends have the city being founded by the mythic king Diomedes of Thrace. The Messapi are thought to have originated in the…

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Segusium, Aples Cottiae

Tucked away among the foothills of the Cottian Alps in Northern Italy, the ancient settlement of Segusium is today located in the Val di Susa, which takes its name from the modern successor of Segusium, Susa. The settlement at the confluence of the modern Cenischia stream and the Dora Riparia (Dura Minor in antiquity) was…

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Tergeste, Histria – Part II

Continued From Tergeste Part I One of the problems I ran into in Trieste is that there were a number of sites that had exceptionally restrictive hours; only open for an hour or two a week during certain times of the year and only available outside that time with prior phone reservation. And in my…

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Tergeste, Histria – Part I

Located on the Gulf of Trieste (the Sinus Tergestinus in antiquity) at the start of the Istrian peninsula, was the ancient city of Tergeste, or Tergestum. Today, the remains of Tergeste are located among the modern city of Trieste, which like its predecessor, now shares a name with the adjacent gulf. The origins of the…

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Sarsina, Umbria

Located in the Apennine foothills of Umbria along the banks of the Sapis river (modern Savio) sat the ancient settlement of Sarsina. Also called Sasina in antiquity, the modern town of just a few thousand retains the ancient name. Prior to Roman hegemony, the settlement was located in the territory of the Sarsinates, who seem…

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Julia Augusta Taurinorum, Transpadana

The Roman settlement of Julia Augusta Taurinorum, which gave rise to the modern Northern Italian city of Turino (Turin), seems to have begun life as a settlement of the Celto-Ligurian Taurini peoples, perhaps called Taurasia. The location of the settlement at the foot of the Cottian Alps and the confluence of the Padus/Eridanus and Duria…

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Ancona, Picenum

The bustling port city of Ancona, on the Adriatic coast of Italy, seems to have begun life as a small settlement of the Italic Picentes, perhaps dating back to the 8th or 9th century BCE. It grew in importance, but, around 380 BCE a contingent of exiles from Syracuse, fleeing the rule of Dionysius I,…

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Brixia, Venetia – Part II

Just to the south of the Capitolium are a few areas to visit Roman remains. The first is right across the street at Via Agostino Gallo 6, at the tourist information office housed at the Palazzo Martinengo Cesaresco Novarino. Housed in the basement and accessible via the tourist office are some remains associated with the…

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Brixia, Venetia – Part I

The modern town of Brescia is situated in Northern Italy at the foot of the Alps, between Lake Iseo and Lake Garda (Lacus Sebinus and Lacus Benacus in antiquity, respectively) and along the Mella River (seemingly retaining it’s ancient name). In the Roman period, the settlement was called Brixia, seeming to derive from the Celtic…

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Ariminum, Aemelia

History Located at the mouth of the present-day Marecchia River (the Ariminus in antiquity) is the Italian Adriatic seaside resort town of Rimini, successor of the Roman settlement of Ariminum. The area seems to have been under the control of the Etruscans until about the 6th century BCE, when the Etruscans were dislodged from the…

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