NAVIGLI
These poetic canals, the last survivors of the 16th century network that crossed the city, offer an unusual landscape of Milan.
Along with Brera, the Navigli are one of the few places where you can still breathe in the atmosphere of old Milan. It's the only place where you can still catch a glimpse of the network of canals built in part by Leonardo da Vinci, the main means of transporting goods and people. For six centuries, the Navigli were used to transport the marble slabs needed to build the Duomo from the Candoglia cellars on Lake Maggiore to the historic center. Knowing today's city as "terrestrial" as it is, it's hard to believe that just over fifty years ago Milan was Italy's fifth-largest port in terms of the number of tons of goods transported along its canals. With the advent of new technological means of locomotion, Milan's canals lost their usefulness. Deemed unsanitary, they were completely covered over in the 1930s. The only survivors, the Naviglio Grande and Naviglio Pavese, still sing the song of the Milan of yesteryear. Along the Alzaia Naviglio Grande, there's a village atmosphere that becomes almost surreal when you see the old washerwomen's arbour and the characteristic "di ringhiera" (balustraded) popular houses. Today they house artists' studios, while along the waterway you'll find boutiques full of curious objects and a series of lively bars and pubs, cherished by a cheerful student crowd on summer evenings.
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