Re: Milan's canal (river) area

On Thu, 31 Aug 2006, dstdst123@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:

Heard there is a Canal (river) in the city of Milan,

No real rivers, despite the fact that one of the possible etimologies on
Mediolanum was "in medio amnium" (in the middle of the rivers ...
middle, but quite far apart), we had a trend of covering them up since
centuries (Nirone, Seveso, Olona), the only river remaining in the open
is Lambro
(http://sax.iasf-milano.inaf.it/~lucio/temp/Fun-and-Curio/Fun/lambrate.html)
but that's rather peripheric and not an advisable place to go
(pollution).

1)
What is the name of this Canal or area ?

The area is currently referenced as "i navigli", there are still two
canals open there.

Milan used to be surrounded by a circular canal (cerchia dei navigli)
since middle ages, but it was covered up between 1880 and 1929.

There were three major canals connecting to it. One is Naviglio Grande,
coming from River Ticino, built before 1200 with no locks. All the
marble used to build Milan's Cathedral (after 1386) came by boat over
such canal.

A connection to the circular canal was arranged some 150-200 years later
than Naviglio Grande with a lock, because of the different water level,
so that the marble could be transported closer to the Cathedral.
Somebody say this was the first lock in the world, and somebody that it
was designed by Leonardo da Vinci. What remains of it has no water, but
an ancient inscription.

The next canal built was Naviglio della Martesana, coming from river
Adda with several locks and entering the circular canal from the north,
in 1496.

The last canal was Naviglio Pavese, exiting from Milan "Darsena" and
reaching Ticino near Pavia, also with several locks. Works started in
1600 and ended after 1700.

The two canals you are interested in are Naviglio Grande and Naviglio
Pavese. They connect in the Darsena (harbour) near Porta Ticinese. At
present half of the Darsena is dry because somebody had the thought
of building an underground car park under it. Until 1960 the Darsena was
the third port in Italy for tonnage unloaded.

Naviglio Grande is the most pictoresque, old buildings, bridges,
restaurants, antique shops. Every last Sunday there is an antique open
market. Twice per year flower market (next on Oct 1st).

Naviglio Pavese is not pictoresque as far as buildings are concerned,
but there are more restaurant and pubs including some on boats
permanently parked in the canal. Continuous quarrel about noise etc.
between restaurant keepers and residents.

2)
Which subway/metro station nearby ? How to go there from Milan Central
Railway Station?

Closest metro station is Porta Genova FS, on line 2 green, directy
connected to Central Station (direction Abbiategrasso). If you exit near
to via Casale, you get in a couple of minutes to a place in the middle
or end of interesting area of Naviglio Grande. Unfortunately to reach
Naviglio Pavese is a fair walk.

Either take a tram from Porta Genova FS towards Porta Ticinese (no more
than a couple of stops), otherwise from Central Station take metro line
3 yellow direction San Donato to Duomo (Cathedral square), exit towards
via Torino and catch tram number 3 in front of the UPIM store. Then stop
at Porta Ticinese.

During the route you will notice :

- at some point an ancient (4th century) church with a roman colonnade
in front (there are some pubs here too and a population of noisy and
uneducated youngsters ... they are thinking of building a retractile
fence to protect the columns)

- you pass under a medieval arch (Porta Ticinese "al Naviglio", but
that's the buried circular canal)

- far ahead you see another neoclassic gate, that's Porta Ticinese.
I am not sure whether the current tram stop is before crossing
the square (piazza XXIV Maggio) or after the crossing.

If it is before (on the left of the tram a little square with
ancient church of S.Eustorgio, worth visiting the Cappella Portinari)
you have to cross the large square to the right, after the Communal
Market and turn right following tram rails (not the line you came,
perpendicular to it).

If the stop is after, on your right there is another 1800 church
(S.Gottardo). Walk back a bit to the main square, and again turn
right with respect to your original tram directions.

In both cases you get after 300 m to the bridge where the two canals
exit from the Darsena.

If you try a google maps for Via Conca del Naviglio, Milano, and turn
down magnification one or two steps, you'll have an idea of the entire
area.

Via Conca del Naviglio (north of the Darsena) is where the first ancient
lock was (just in case you want to take a look at what remains).

The Darsena is the large black stripe. You should see the two canals
exiting south and southwest, and the location of Porta Genova FS
west-sout-west (it is an old terminal rail station, clearly visible on
the map .... in hybrid mode you get also street names and metro
stations)


Do you recommend going there for lunch or dinner?
Any good restaurant by the side of the Canal for a budget of Euro 30

Really I'm not the type to eat out in my own city. I was there only once
in a standard pizzeria for what used to be standard prices before the
Great Euro Doubling. But surely you would be able to pick something for
you.


If you are interested instead in canals, industrial archeology and
alike, you should try this. Take train to Paderno Robbiate (line
Milan-Carnate-Bergamo). You get to where an old iron bridge crosses
river Adda some 90 m below. Go down. If you follow the river to the
north you get a place called Leonardo's Ferry at Imbersago. If you
follow the river to the south (but that's a 13 km walk to Trezzo, there
are many bikers) you'd follow the Naviglio di Paderno (canal built in
1700 to allow navigation from Lecco to the Naviglio della Martesana, the
river has rapids here ... the background of Leonardo's Virgin of the
Rocks) with some old power stations. From Trezzo you can take a bus to
extraurban metro station of Gessate, or continue to see the beginning of
Naviglio della Martesana. The walk along the canal from Trezzo to
Vaprio is shorter and both places are connected by bus to Gessate.

There are small restaurants around the route or in the towns (although
I'd take a picnic lunch with me)

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