It’s almost impossible, even using photos, to let you know how the streets work here. They are very narrow and steep. Most are cobblestone. We pedestrians have to share space with automobiles, motorbikes, bicycles, baby carriages, etc.
I don’t have to walk far most days. The ancient city is not more than a couple of dozen blocks square, but my thighs are really getting a workout since it’s constantly uphill, then downhill, then uphill again.
Intriguingly, the town is laid out on a grid pattern. In fact, this came after it was moved following its partial destruction by fire in 1287. The city was designed by Arnolfo di Cambio, and a historical brochure says it “may have inspired” Leon Battistra Alberti in his design for The Ideal City. That same document says when it was moved, it was “rebuilt anew on flatter land.” That means the older city had more hills. Hard to believe.
Several of the students are serious runners. I’ve seen them chugging along the steep roads. I pity them.
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