Florence's salubriousness in Leonardo Bruni's Laudatio Florentinae urbis, written about 1404, stands in stark contrast to today's image of the medieval city as a place mired in filth. Ideally situated between mountains and a valley, the city was shielded from the bitterly cold northern winds and the corrupt air that festered in the damp and dreary vale. Beneath a canopy of fresh air, the circuit of well-maintained walls enveloped a majestic cityscape of palaces and churches, ancient and modern. Above all, Florence surpassed all other cities in its cleanliness, for ‘you will find here nothing that is disgusting to the eye, offensive to the nose, or filthy under foot. The great diligence of its inhabitants ensures and provides that all filth is removed from the streets, so you see only what brings pleasure and joy to the senses.’ Sanitation penetrated the very pores of the city, purging the nooks and crannies of the household interiors of the poor and the rich, as well as sweeping clean the broad, paved streets where crowds gathered. Refuse produced at night was not left lying about in the streets, as in other cities, but removed directly. Perambulation of the city was further facilitated through the channelling of rain water in gutters, thereby ensuring that pedestrians had dry feet.