Pontine Marshes

Pontine Marshes (Lat. Pometine Paludes), a low-lying district, the southern part of the Campagna of Rome, extending south-east from Velletri to the sea at Terracina, 26 miles long by 17 broad. The district is separated from the sea by sand-dunes, and is traversed by the Appian Way. Herds of cattle, horses, and buffaloes feed on its pasture. Many attempts have been made to drain these marshes, from that of Appius Claudius (312 B.C.) to the proposals of Captain von Donat (1887), amongst the promoters of these drainage schemes being Augustus, Trajan, and the popes Boniface VIII., Martin V., Sixtus V., and Pius VI.