Right now I'm working on a new book set in 1896 New York city and some of my research begins with Lyndsey Faye's fabulous book, The Gods of Gotham I definitely recommend you read this fascinating historical novel beginning in 1845 when New York's first police force appears
It struck me that while trains existed, even an elevated, most of the characters got around like our Vespers characters did - either on foot or carriage or horseback. Mostly on foot
Also the picture drawn of sanitation, jobs, tenement living and the like were basically squalid
No beautiful public baths so prevalent in medieval Mediterranean cities and not much municipal clean-up like 13th Palermo had. In fact one of our characters, Raynaldus Dr Rogerio, was a magistrate in his quarter of Palermo and one of his responsibilities was daily street clean-up, not to mention organizing the night watch.
Just an interesting comparison ...
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