Naviglio Pavese

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... More »

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. On the right bank, the small Via Magolfa is a charming little hamlet that lines a narrow irrigation ditch, and is an example of fast-disappearing Milan.