The Medieval Mediterranean City: Urban Life and Design, 1250-1380

This book is a study of architecture and urban design across the Mediterranean Sea from the 12th to the 14th Century, a time when there was no single, hegemonic power dominating the area. The focus of the study--four cities on the Italian peninsula, and four in Syria and Egypt--is the interconnectedness of the design and use of urban structures, streets and open space. Each chapter offers an historical analysis of the buildings and spaces used for trade, education, political display and public action. The work includes historical and social analyses of the mercantile, social, political and educational cultures of the eight cities, highlighting similarities and differences between Christian and Islamic practices. Sixteen new maps drawn specifically for this book are based on the writings of medieval travelers.

Felicity Ratté is a professor of art and architectural history at Marlboro College in Marlboro, Vermont. She teaches across the field from the ancient to the modern periods. The particular focus of her work currently is comparative urban design and use in the medieval and modern cultures.