The Navigli is one of the hubs of Milan’s movida. It is one of the city’s most popular and beautiful areas both during the day – with its bookshops, vintage shops and aperitif bars – and for going out at night.

The Navigli are a set of artificial canals that were once used to transport goods and for irrigation. Through these canals, marble from the Candoglia quarries was brought to Milan and used to build the Duomo.

They can also be found in other parts of the city, but ‚the Navigli‘ par excellence are the Naviglio Pavese and the Naviglio Grande.

The history of the Navigli began in the 12th century, these canals were intended to connect Milan to Lake Maggiore, Lake Como, the city of Pavia and the river Po, these ‚Waterways‘ served to transport goods and materials to and from Milan and thus to make the city of Milan grow and develop.

Leonardo da Vinci also worked on the Navigli project and was commissioned to do so in the 15th century by Ludovico Il Moro. Until the 19th century, the Navigli were the main transport system, then they were gradually replaced by road transport, which was much faster and more efficient.

Over time, many of the navigli were buried and forgotten for many years, then there was a redevelopment in the Porta Genova area and the navigli are now used for small city cruises and are one of the most frequented places by Milanese and tourists.

In the Navigli area, you can visit the Vicolo dei Lavandai, one of the wash-houses where women have been cleaning clothes for centuries.

Milano has different „Navigli“ (channels): the Naviglio Pavese, the Naviglio Grande, the Naviglio Martesana, the Naviglio di Bereguardo, and the Naviglio di Paderno. The history of the Navigli began in the twelfth century, these channels were intended to connect Milan to Lake Maggiore, Lake Como, the city of Pavia and the river Po, these „Waterways“ were used for the transport of goods and materials to and from Milan and therefore to grow and develop the city of Milan.

Leonardo da Vinci also worked on the Navigli project and was commissioned in the 15th century by Ludovico Il Moro.