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Milan Rivers and Lakes, Italy Luxury Vacations, Tours and Travel Packages Darsena  The small lake of Darsena, next to the Porta Ticinese, is all that remains of the complex system of canals and rivers which have crossed the city of Milan since Roman times. The Naviglio Grande which ran from Abbiategrasso,ran into this lake, as well as the Pavese canal which joins it at the junction of the Ticino and the Olona river which today runs underground. La Darsena was built in 1603 by the Spanish governor the Count of Fuentes. It was there that cargoes were loaded and unloaded from the barges which reached the city via the Lombardian rivers. It found its present form in 1920 when, with the demolition of the Spanish ramparts it was expanded and the long commercial quay was constructed along Via D'Annunzio where on Saturday the traditional Sinigaglia market takes place. It was through the Darsena that the regional canals were linked up with the city system, enabling and developing the commercial and artisanal activity of the city. The city centre was thus linked by a water network to the Ticino, the Adda and the Po and so to the sea and the great lakes of Lombardy
Naviglio Grande  Digging of the Naviglio Grande was begun in 1177. It was extended as far as Milan in 1257 when it flowed into the Darsena. It 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. A branch of the Ticino near Tornavento, the Naviglio Grande enters Milan after about 50 km. For centuries it performed a fundamental role in the city's economy by connecting it to the great canal network in Lombardy (it was this way that the large pink marble blocks used for the construction of Milan cathedral entered the city). Today it has lost almost all its commercial value. Exiting the Darsena along the towpath of the Naviglio Grande, you will see the large residential buildings with fenced courtyards from the early 1900's, 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 communal wash-house. It is an image of a Milan from the past.
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The Naviglio Pavese leaves the Darsena below the Trofeo bridge before heading off to the river Ticino 30 km away, through 12 locks that allow boats to overcome the 52 metre difference in water level. Dug around 1300 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti for irrigation purposes, it was only made navigable in 1819 when its traffic exceeded that of the Naviglio Grande with more than 1400 convoys per year. This means of transport was only halted in 1978 due to the competition from land traffic. From the Darsena, the left bank is still characterised by old buildings with landings while the Alzaia bank was prevalently rebuilt after WW2 and has no particular character.
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