The image of the medieval town is one that pre-emanates our folklore and popular culture; it is
scene of small tightly packed settlements huddled under the protective gaze of the local castle or
snuggly filling the encircling walls. A town with narrow cobbled stone streets and houses protruding
at every angle on to the streets, at the end of which they open on to a central market with houses that
jut up against the churches and cathedrals.
The truth is far more complex.
