The war against the Samnites

Once Lazio was under its rule, Rome was able to face the Samnite Confederation made up by the Samnite towns (today's Molise) with the aim of conquering the fertile Campania plain.They came to an agreement for the division of Campania, in wich the Etruscans lost the town of Capua and the Greeks lost Cuma. But the agreement did not last long. The Romans occupied the Greek town Naples, ignoring that the Samnites had granted it protection and defence. Thus beginnig a war which lasted thirty-seven years (327 b. C.-290 b. C.). The conflict was very hard for Rome because the Samnites joined the ancient enemies, the Etruscans and the Gauls.
However with the victory of Sentino (295 b. C.), the Romans put an happy end to the thirty-year war, but without conquering the Samnium which was surrounded by Roman garrisons. Taking advatage by the fact that the Etruscans and Gauls had helped the Samnites, Romans also invaded some Etruscan lands on the Tirrenic coast.
At the end the northern borders of Rome went from Luni (Tuscany) to Rimini (Romagna).