The streets were mostly irregular, winding and narrow, especially in the older districts, and the ground was so uneven and steep in places that steps were needed to get up and down. The widest streets were split into three strips: a main thoroughfare in the center for chariots, beasts of burden and litters flanked by paved paths two to four feet wide for pedestrians, running alongside the houses on either side. The main thoroughfare was some 23½ feet wide, enough to allow two chariots to pass one another. This was enormous compared with other streets, particularly those built earlier, which were only eight feet wide; the narrowness of the streets and the height of the houses made Rome feel more like an underground city in places, with the people often finding themselves plunged into dark gorges. Although the layout was not particularly easy on the eye, it did have the advantage of sheltering the streets from the sun, creating a wonderfully cool air more conducive to a salubrious environment. Altars to minor divinities stood at most crossroads, flanked by religious and secular statues and a wide array of market stalls enough to make passage difficult in places, while fabrics and clothing hung to dry in front of fullers' houses. Such was the daily picture of life in the streets of ancient Rome.

Charles Dezobry (1798-1871): Rome in the Time of Augustus (A Frenchman's Journey to Rome in the Time of Augustus and during part of the Reign of Tiberius) (Free translation from the French)