Naviglio Grande

Description:

• Naviglio Grande was one of the first canals in Milan and was one of the most important engineering works to be carried out in Lombardy during the Middle Ages. For centuries it played a fundamental role in the city's economy by connecting it to the great canal network in Lombardy. Exiting the Darsena along the towpath of the Naviglio Grande, you will see the large residential buildings with fenced courtyards from the early 1900s, arts and crafts workshops, old barges (now turned into bars), the many areas that are undergoing urban renewal, and, further out, the country villas of the nobility (particularly between Abbiategrasso and Robecco sul Naviglio). Make a quick stop near Vicolo Lavandai, the ancient shelter with wooden beams that covers the old communal wash-house, a quaint location that is one of the relatively few remainders of Milan's distant past. Check website for more details.
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