Final answer:
Medieval towns were built close to defensible sites, monasteries, along trade and pilgrimage routes, and in locations that allowed them to express their unique regional identity.
Step-by-step explanation:
Medieval towns were typically built close to features that offered strategic advantages such as protection, trade routes, or religious significance. Defensible sites were of particular importance, including natural fortifications like rivers, hillsides, or islands. For example, Paris and Athens were founded on such defensible sites. Additionally, medieval towns were often located near monasteries, which were not only centers of spiritual life but also of economic activity. The construction of Romanesque cathedrals and buildings contributed to the expansion and revival of towns during this period.
Furthermore, during the Middle Ages, pilgrimages to holy sites were common, making towns on pilgrimage routes such as Santiago de Compostela prosperous. Places like Assisi with its Romanesque cathedral or the newly founded town of Puente La Reina witnessed growth due to their association with pilgrimage routes. Medieval towns also formed around their unique regional and civic qualities, where architecture like that seen in Florence and Pisa expressed both regional identity and a link to the Roman past.