The Navigli and Vicolo dei Lavandai

In front of you flows the Naviglio Grande, the oldest of Milan's canals. Today it is the bank for aperitivo, flea markets and strolls. For centuries, though, it was above all a motorway made of water.

1A city without a river

Milan has no great river, so it made one. Work on the Naviglio Grande began around 1177-1179, and by 1272 the canal was navigable all the way to the city. It runs for almost 50 kilometres, from the Ticino to the Darsena, the old port just a few steps away. Along it came the marble for the Duomo, timber, salt and grain. Locks were introduced in the 15th century, and Leonardo da Vinci, serving the Sforza and later the French, studied and drew these systems. In 1929-1930 the ring of canals in the centre was covered over, and the city lost much of its waterscape.

2The washers' alley

Find Vicolo dei Lavandai: under a small wooden roof you can still see the sloping stones where laundry was washed in the canal water. Washermen, and above all washerwomen, worked here until the mid-20th century.

The Darsena, restored and reopened in 2015, has given Milan back a little of the port that was once among the busiest in Italy.

3What to look for

• The stone washhouse of Vicolo dei Lavandai.
• The «case di ringhiera», with long shared balconies facing the courtyard.
• The iron bridges across the canal.