noon before
At last , I remember that I turned to Arcolano , who was riding with the ears of his mule in line with my saddle-bow , and asked him to point out to me where my dominions ended . The meek question provoked an astonishingly churlish answer . I was shortly bidden to give my mind to other than worldly things ; and with that he began a homily , which lasted for many a weary mile , upon the vanities of the world and the glories of Paradise -- a homily of the very tritest , upon subjects whereupon I , myself , could have dilated to better purpose than could His Ignorance . The distance from Mondolfo to Piacenza is a good eight leagues , and though we had set out very early , it was past noon before we caught our first glimpse of the city by the Po , lying low as it does in the vast Aemilian plain , and Arcolano set himself to name to me this church and that whose spires stood out against the cobalt background of the sky . An hour or so after our first glimpse of the city , our weary beasts brought us up to the Gate of San Lazzaro . But we did not enter , as I had hoped . Messer Arcolano had had enough of me and my questions at Mondolfo , and he was not minded to expose himself to worse behaviour on my part in the more interesting thoroughfares of this great city .