> This writing is so pretentious. That may be so, but also more information-dense, as well. For example, what we can determine from just your excerpt: > the

> This writing is so pretentious. That may be so, but also more information-dense, as well. For example, what we can determine from just your excerpt: > the sun shone hot on my skin and the wind brushed my face There does not appear to be much overhead protection for the sun, it is an area where the sun is hot and prominent, and you are likely to need protection. In addition, the building density was not such that shade was readily available. > Without the protection of a car or bus, I smelled every rubbish bin and felt the whoosh of passing cyclists. The place is likely dirty, garbage takes a while to smell, even under hot sun. The pedestrian route is frequently travelled by cyclists, rather than the roads, so it is be prudent to keep a watchful eye for them. In addition, if one wishes to cycle, it is not frowned upon (or at least common practice) to use the pedestrian routes, rather than the roads. Contrast with a country like the UK where cycling on the pavement is illegal and seemingly uncommon in cities except where it is utterly necessary. > I heard the gentle thud of my feet and noticed how the texture of the ground – whether earth, grass, cobblestone or cement – changed my stride. Most cities are paved over completely with concrete or cobblestone. It seems that Lucca instead has a variety of surfaces despite being in the city, this allows someone to change their footwear appropriately -- in addition, cobblestone is common for some cities, but in the UK or US is relatively uncommon, and could provide difficulty for people with mobility issues depending on the ruggedness of it. > That is walking. He is literally just describing walking. The entire point of writing is to create a scene or describe a place. Sure, you can say instead "I walked through the streets of Lucca" or something of the sort, but that is inherently bad writing because it triggers the brain to ask "ok, what was it like", and provides no detail or information whatsoever. That's not to mention that the entire point of these sorts of articles is to give people some taste of being there (who maybe are not priviledged enough to be able to travel, even). The alternative of "I walked through the streets of Lucca", is so sparse of information to be instantly forgotten, and does not give any hint of a reason for why Lucca is different from other places. Your comment is effectively like looking at the story of Macbeth and saying "oh this is so pretentious, why didn't he just distill it down into a paragraph, maybe a page, tops"