Milan was once a city of canals, and the Navigli are what remain: the Naviglio Grande, a medieval waterway that carried marble for the Duomo and grain into the city, and the Naviglio Pavese, which links the Darsena to Pavia.
Leonardo da Vinci studied and improved the lock system that let boats climb into the city center. The two canals meet at the Darsena, Milan’s old river port, now a favorite place for the evening aperitivo. Along the Naviglio Grande, old courtyard houses, artists’ studios and bars line the quays, and the Vicolo dei Lavandai, a covered washhouse where women once scrubbed laundry in the canal, still stands.
