It is therefore likely that the Roman civil wars prevented Livy from pursuing a higher education in Rome or going on a tour of Greece, which was common for adolescent males of the nobility at the time. Pollio then attempted to bribe the slaves of those wealthy citizens to expose the whereabouts of their masters his bribery did not work, and the citizens instead pledged their allegiance to the Senate. The wealthy citizens of Patavium refused to contribute money and arms to Asinius Pollio, and went into hiding. The governor of Cisalpine Gaul at the time, Asinius Pollio, tried to sway Patavium into supporting Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony), the leader of one of the warring factions. Livy's teenage years were during the 40s BC, a period of civil wars throughout the Roman world. 'He was by nature a recluse, mild in temperament and averse to violence the restorative peace of his time gave him the opportunity to turn all his imaginative passion to the legendary and historical past of the country he loved.' In his works, Livy often expressed his deep affection and pride for Patavium, and the city was well known for its conservative values in morality and politics. Cisalpine Gaul was merged in Italy proper during his lifetime and its inhabitants were given Roman citizenship by Julius Caesar. At the time of his birth, his home city of Patavium was the second wealthiest on the Italian peninsula, and the largest in the province of Cisalpine Gaul (northern Italy). Livy was born in Patavium in northern Italy, now modern Padua, probably in 59 BC.

Latin modern roman dunhill font