The canals also designed by Leonardo, and the aperitivo
Few people know that Milan was once a city of water. From the twelfth century a network of navigable canals, the Navigli, linked the city to Lake Maggiore, Lake Como and the Ticino and Po rivers. Along them travelled goods and the marble for the Duomo. Leonardo da Vinci studied and improved the system of locks during his years in Milan. Most of the canals in the city were covered over in the 1930s.
Two survive in the south west of the city, meeting at the Darsena, the old port, now redeveloped: the Naviglio Grande and the Naviglio Pavese. Their banks, lined with old houses with ringhiera balconies, artisans' workshops, art studios and bookshops, have become the heart of Milan's nightlife. In the evening the bars and restaurants along the water fill up for the ritual of the aperitivo, with a Spritz or a Negroni sbagliato and a buffet. Along the Naviglio Grande you can see the old washhouse, the Vicolo dei Lavandai.
Tip: on the last Sunday of each month the Naviglio Grande hosts a large antiques market; boat trips on the canals run from spring to autumn.
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