The Casa in Via della Lungaretta, a medieval Roman house made of brick and other classical remnants, follows an ancient Roman vernacular style as it has an open front with a space for shops beneath it. In a Medieval city it would be typical for houses to be multifunctional as both residential and economic centers, as dealers and artisans would often have their shops in the houses they lived in, on the lower level. Here, they would display their products on the street on counters made of wood or built into the walls of the house. In such shops, one could buy food items such as fish, meat, vegetables, and bread, as well as household items including pieces of furniture, kitchen utensils, fabrics, etc. Given the difficulty of keeping food for long periods of time as it would spoil quickly, during this time people had to buy items in small quantities on a daily basis, so every day there would be a consistent flow of traffic in these areas.