By day, Milan’s Navigli neighborhood is just like any other with a ribbon of water running through it.
But at night it comes alive with restaurants and nightclubs and bars.
The waterways date back to 1179, when Leonardo da Vinci was recruited to come to Milan and help with the water engineering.
He designed a series of locks to help with changing water elevations.
The canals were needed to bring in marble for Duomo from Candologia.
But they were later abandoned in favor of rail and auto and faster ways of getting around.
By the mid-1970’s the canals suffered from neglect, poor maintenance and pollution.
But today the area has come alive with art and great food and live music.
Like the water, life has flowed back into these ancient waterways as tourists (like me) visit and help revive the local economy.
No comments:
Post a Comment