Travel Guide to Europe, 1492

On the eve of the five hundredth anniversary of the discovery of the Americas, it bears remembering that in 1492, as Columbus was making his historic voyage, Europe was flourishing, at the very height of the Renaissance that transformed a continent. In art, politics, commerce, and society, the medieval world had given way to the modern era. But what was Europe really like then? What did London, Paris, Rome, and the other great centers of culture actually look like, and what was it like to travel