Photo by the author.

I’ve seen mediaeval precincts in European cities before, but not on this astonishing scale. It’s not just that everything is continuous and intact. It’s also that everything is cramped together, ornamented to the point of headache, flooded with people, and astonishingly tall. The sidewalks have geometric mosaics made of cobblestones. It’s a sign of a whimsey and joie-de-vivre, but also a sign of wealth and power.

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