I was lucky today to witness a renovation of a cobblestone street, done almost the same way as in the old times. The modern workers do use some machines, but all of the fitting and placing of the stones is done by hand. It was amazing to see the care and the skill with which they fitted single cobbles into the pattern, and how they place them and firm them in place by hand with small hammers. The skill and swiftness is amazing. Most of the streets in the Old Town are refitted with cobbles as they were in the old centuries and the effect is singularly awesome. The street surface looks ancient, and you know that it will last for centuries. Cobbled streets are per meable to rain, so there is no runoff.