Means of transport
here the marshes cancelled out the overland routes, the principle way to travel became via small boats along the internal waterways.
Where the Roman roads remained, however, in hilly and mountain areas, people in Middle Ages tended to travel on foot or pack-animals. The elderly and women of noble birth used carriages pulled by oxen or sedan-chairs.
Only noblemen and ecclesiastics travelled by horse - a delicate and costly means which symbolised an elevated social rank. Even the merchants preferred pack-animals which were easier to manage, faster than carriages and capable of climbing the steepest slopes even if they were unable to carry heavy loads.
Journeys of penitence and devotion, however, needed the benediction of a priest and had to be made on foot. This meant that only a minimum of baggage could be taken - a staff to lean on and for self-defence, a container for water, a sum of money not large enough to tempt thieves and little else.
Biblioteca Malatestiana of Modena
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