Chapter II. Of the Compartment of ways within the cities

IN the compartment or disposition of the ways within a city, regard ought to be had to the temperature of the air, and to the region of the heaven, under which the city is situated. For in those of a temperate and cool air, the streets ought to be made ample and broad; considering, that by their breadth the city will be much wholesomer, more commodious, and more beautiful; seeing that the less subtile, and the more freely the air comes, so much the less it will offend the head. The more the city, therefore, is in a cold place, and hath a subtile air, and where the edifices are made very high, so much the wider the streets ought to be made, that they may, in each of their parts, be visited by the sun. And as to conveniency, there is no doubt, that, as much better room may be allowed to men, to cattle, and to carriages in broad than in the narrow streets, broad ones are much more convenient than the narrow; it being manifest, that as there is much more light in the broad ones, and also that as one side is not so much obstructed by the other, its opposite, one is able, in the large ones, much better to consider the beauty of the temples, and of the palaces, whereby the eye receives greater contentment; it adds besides a greater ornament to the city.

But the city being in a hot country, its streets ought to be made narrow, and the houses high, that by their shade, and by the narrowness of the streets, the heat of the site may be tempered; by which means it will be more healthy. This is known by the example of Rome, which, according to Cornelius Titus, grew hotter, and less healthy, after Nero, to make it beautiful, had widened its streets. In such case, however, for the greater ornament and conveniency of the city, the streets most frequented by the principal arts, and by passengers, ought to be made spacious, and adorned with magnificent and sump. tuous fabricks, that foreigners who pass through it, may easily incline to believe, that to the beauty and largeness of this, the other streets of the city may also correspond.

The principal streets, which we have called military, in the cities ought to be so comparted, that they may be straight, and lead from the gates of the city in a direct line to the greatest and principal piazza; and sometimes also, the site permitting it, lead in the same manner directly to the opposite gate; and according to the greatness of the city, by the same line, Of such streets, between the said principal piazza, and any of the gates you please, there ought to be one or more piazza’s, made somewhat less than the before-said principal piazza.

The other streets, especially the more noble of them, ought also to be made, not only to lead to the principal piazza, but also to the most remarkable temples, palaces, portico's, and other publick fabricks.

But in this compartment of the streets, it ought to be observed, with the utmost diligence (as Vitruvius teaches us in the sixth chapter of his first book) that they should not in a dire line face some winds; that through them furious and violent winds may not be felt; but that they may, with more salubrity to the inhabitants, come broken, gentle, purified and spent, left the same inconveniency should be incurred which happened to those who in the island of Lesbos laid out the streets of Mitylene, from which city the whole island has now taken the name.

The streets in a city ought to be paved; and we read, that under the confulthip of M. Ainiravus, the censors began to pave in Rome, where some are still to be seen, which are all even, and are paved with irregular stones; which manner of paving, how it was done, shall be mentioned hereafter. But if one is willing to divide the place where men are to walk, from that which serves for the use of carts and of cattle, I should like that the streets were divided, that on the one and on the other part there were portico’s made, through which the citizens might, under cover, go and do their business, without being moletted by the sun, by the rains and snow: in which manner are almost all the streets of Padua disposed, a very antient city, und celebrated for learning, Or if no portico’s be made, (in which case the streets will be more ample and pleasant) some margins are to be made on each side, paved with mattoni, which are baked stones, thicker and narrower than bricks, because they do not at all offend the feet in walking; and the middle part is to be left for the carts and cattle, and to be paved with flints, or any other hard tones.

The streets ought to be somewhat concave in the middle, and slanting, that the water which falls from the houses may all run to one place, and have a freer course, whereby the streets are left clean, and are not the cause of bad air; as is the case when it stops in any place, and there putrifies,