This list includes countries and regions in the Italian Peninsula that were part of the Roman Empire, or that were given Latin place names in historical reference.
Background Until the Modern Era, Latin was the common language for scholarship and mapmaking. During the 19th and 20th centuries, German scholars in particular made significant contributions to the study of historical place names, or Ortsnamenkunde. These studies have, in turn, contributed to the study of genealogy. For genealogists and historians of pre-Modern Europe, knowing alternate names of places is vital to extracting information from both public and private records. Even specialists in this field point out, however, that the information can be easily taken out of context, since there is a great deal of repetition of place names throughout Europe; reliance purely on apparent connections should therefore be tempered with valid historical methodology.
Caveats and notes Latin place names are not always exclusive to one place – for example, there were several Roman cities whose names began with Colonia and then a more descriptive term. During the Middle Ages, these were often shortened to just Colonia. One of these, Colonia Agrippinensis, retains the name today in the form of Cologne.
Early sources for Roman names show numerous variants and spellings of the Latin names.
The modern canonical name is listed first. Sources are listed chronologically. In general, only the earliest source is shown for each name, although many of the names are recorded in more than one of the sources. Where the source differs in spelling, or has other alternatives, these are listed following the source. As an aid to searching, variants are spelled completely, and listed in most likely chronology.
Superscripts indicate: Latinized form of the Greek-derived name. Latinized form of the Asian-derived name via Greek. Altered Latinized form of the Greek-derived name.
Cities and towns in Italy
Canonical Latin name (source(s): variant(s)) English name (native language(s)) – older name(s), (other language(s)), location (s) Abellinum Avellino (east of Naples) Acelum Asolo Castrum Falconarii, Falconaria Maritima Falconara Marittima Aesis Jesi Aenaria, Pithecussa Ischia Agrigentum Agrigento Alba Pompeia Alba, Piedmont Albingaunum Albenga Albintemelium, Albintimilium Ventimiglia Altinum Altino Ameria Amelia, Umbria Ammurianum Murano Ampicium, Cortina Ampecanorum Cortina d'Ampezzo Antrona Scaranicum Antrona Schieranco Apua Pontremoli Aquae Statiellae, Aquae Statiellorum Acqui Terme Aquilia in Vestinis, Aquilia L'Aquila Arcionis Riccione Arconisium Racconigi Ardea Ardea Ariminum Rimini Arretium Arezzo Asculum Picenum Ascoli Piceno Assisium Assisi, Umbria Ateste Este Aternum Pescara Augusta Augusta Augusta Bagiennorum Bene Vagienna Augusta Praetoria Salassorum Aosta Augusta Taurinorum, Taurasia Turin Bardonisca Bardonecchia Baretium Varese Barium Bari Baruli Barletta Bassanum Bassano del Grappa Bauzanum, Pons Drusi Bolzano Bellunum Belluno Beneventum Benevento Bergomum Bergamo Bobium, Ebovium Bobbio Bononia Bologna Boreana Burano Burgus Sancti Dalmatii, Sanctus Dalmatius de Pedona Burgo San Dalmazzo Brindisium, Brundusium Brindisi Brixellum Brescello Brixia Brescia Brixino Brixen (Bressanone) Caesena Cesena Caesenaticum Cesenatico Caieta Gaeta Capreae Capri Capua Santa Maria Capua Vetere Caralis Cagliari Carreum Potentia Chieri Nissa, Calatanixecta Caltanisetta Callipolis Gallipoli Castrum Francorum (Venetia) Castelfranco Veneto Castrum Novum, Caferonianum, Castrum Novum Garfinianae Castelnuovo di Garfagnana Castrum Villarum Castrovillari Catana, Catina Catania Catholica Cattolica Centum Cellae Civitavecchia Cervia Cervia Civitas Sancti Romuli Sanremo Claterna Claterna Comum Como Conelianum Conegliano Cremona Cremona Decentianum Desenzano del Garda Dertona Tortona Drepanum Trapani (west of Palermo) Eporedia Ivrea Fabiranum, Fabrianum Fabriano Faesulae Fiesole Faventia Faenza Feltria Feltre Fidentia Fidenza Firmum (Picenum) Fermo Florentia Florence (Firenze) Forum Cornelii Imola Forum Fulvii Villa del Foro, near Alessandria Forum Iulii Cividale del Friuli Forum Livii Forlì, Italy Forum Popilii Forlimpopoli Forum Vibii Caburrum Cavour Fossa Clodia Chioggia Frusina Frosinone Fulginiae, Fulginium Foligno Genua Genoa (Genova) Goritia Gorizia Gressonetum ad Sanctum Joannem Gressoney-Saint-Jean (Gressonei San Giovanni) Hasta Asti Henna or Haenna Enna Herculaneum Herculaneum (Ercolano) Hispellum, Colonia Julia Hispellum Spello, Umbria Horta (Pedemontium), Horta Sancti Iulii Orta San Giulio Hostilia Ostiglia Iguvium, Eugubium Gubbio, Umbria Monticulus ad Padum, Mons Acutus, Bodincomagus, Industria Monteu da Po Iria Voghera Iulia Concordia Concordia Sagittaria Interamna Nahars, Interamna Nahartium Terni, Umbria Interamnia Praetutiana, Interamnia, Interamnium, Interamna Teramo Iulianum Giugliano in Campania Labellum Lavello Labro, Liburnum Livorno Laus Pompeia Lodi Libarna near Serravalle Scrivia Lilybaeum Marsala Linianum Lignano Sabbiadoro Livignum Livigno Locus Rotundus, Casalis Sancti Georgii Locorotondo Luca Lucca Luna Luni Lupiae Lecce Mantua Mantua (Mantova) Martanae Tudertinorum Massa Martana Mateola Matera Mediolanum Milan (Milano) Menasium Menaggio Messana Messina Mevania Bevagna, Umbria Modicia Monza Monopolis Monopoli Mons Belluni Montebelluna Mons Calerius Moncalieri Mons Falconis Monfalcone Mons Rotundus Monterotondo Morbenium Morbegno Mutina Modena Neapolis Naples (Napoli) Nola Nola, near Naples Novaria Novara Nursia Norcia, Umbria Olmedum Olmedo Opitergium Oderzo Oscela Lepontiorum Domodossola Palma Palmanova Panormus Palermo Parma Parma Patavium Padua (Padova) Perusia Perugia Petra Mularia Piedimulera Pisae Pisa Pisaurum Pesaro Pistoria, Pistorium or Pistoriae Pistoia Placentia Piacenza Pollentia Pollenzo Pompeii Pompei Portus Gruarius Portogruaro Portus Naonis Pordenone Potentia Potenza Praeneste Palestrina Puteoli Pozzuoli Ravenna Ravenna Reate Rieti Rhegium, Regium Lepidi Reggio Calabria Rodigium, Rhodigium Rovigo Roma Rome Scylacium, Scylletium, Scolatium, Scolacium, Scyllaceum, Scalacium, Minervium, Colonia Minervia Squillace Saena, Sena Siena Saudae Ulcii Sauze d'Oulx Savo Savona Segesta Tiguliorum Sestri Levante Segusium Susa Sipontum Novum, Manfredonia Manfredonia Spoletium Spoleto Stabiae Castellammare di Stabia Suasa Castelleone di Suasa Surrentum Sorrento Syracusae¹ Syracuse (Siracusa) Tarentum Taranto Tarvisium Treviso Tauromenium Taormina Teate Chieti Tergeste Trieste Terracina Terracina Thermae Himerenses Termini Imerese Tibur Tivoli Ticinum Pavia Tifernum Tiberinum Città di Castello Trecalae, Caltabillocta Caltabellotta Tridentum Trent (Trento) Tuder Todi, Umbria Tulmentium Tolmezzo Tusculum near Frascati (south-east of Rome) Urbinum Hortense, Urvinum Hortense near Collemancio, Umbria (?) Urbinum Mataurense, Urvinum Mataurense Urbino, Marche Urticetum Ortisei Vada Sabatia Vado Ligure Casalis, Casalis Montis Ferrati Casale Monferrato Vedinum, Utinum Udine Veleia, Velleia Velleia, frazione of Lugagnano Val d'Arda Velitrae Velletri Venusia Venosa Vercellæ Vercelli Vicetia, Vincentia Vicenza Vigiliae Bisceglie Viglebanum, Vigebanum Vigevano Vigueria, Viguerium Voghera Villa Franca, Villa Franca Lunisaniae Villafranca in Lunigiana Vipitenum Vipiteno Volaterrae Volterra Volsinii Novi, Volsinium Bolsena
Cities and towns on Malta
Canonical Latin name (source(s): variant(s)) English name (native language(s)) – older name(s), (other language(s)), location (s) Civitas Victoriosa Birgu (Vittoriosa) Melita, Notabilis Mdina Civitas Invicta Isla (Senglea) Civitas Humilissima Valletta
See also Chemical elements named after places (several element names employ Latin place names) List of Latin place names used as specific names
References In order of likely publication:
PNH: Pliny (Gaius Plinius Secundus), Naturalis Historia; book "PNH" chapter (that is, "37PNH81" instead of the usual "N.H.xxxvii.81"). PG: Ptolemy (Claudius Ptolemaeus), Geographia; book "PG" chapter (that is, "2PG3" instead of the usual "II.3"). Ptolemy wrote in Greek, so names are transliterated back into Latin to reveal the original form. HLU: Johann Jacob Hofmann (1635–1706): Lexicon Universale GOL: The standard reference to Latin placenames, with their modern equivalents, is Dr. J. G. Th. Grässe, Orbis Latinus: Lexikon lateinischer geographischer Namen des Mittelalters und der Neuzeit (1861), an exhaustive work of meticulous German scholarship that is available on-line in the second edition of 1909. To use it, one must understand German names of countries, as they were in 1909. The original was re-edited and expanded in a multi-volume edition in 1972.
External links Grässe, Orbis Latinus Grässe, Orbis Latinus Hofmann: Lexicon Universale Place Names of Europe Pliny the Elder: the Natural History Ptolemy: the Geography