The preserved medieval houses are built in hand cut stone, often using the symbolic technique of rustication. Indeed, these houses of notable residents had to show the social status of their owner from the outside.
The ground floor often used for commercial purposes sometimes has large slightly pointed arcades which housed shops, sheds or barns. The door is sometimes topped with a lintel. It opens onto a straight and steep staircase giving access to the living area on the 1st floor. The pointed bay windows are often twinned.
The facade is often decorated with projecting stones called corbels. They were used to support the beams under a terrace or an extension to the house. The encroachment into public space was common in the Middle Ages. If the wooden superstructures have since disappeared, there are still fine examples of vaulted houses to be seen in the historical centre.