L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2018 www.italoamericano.org 16 L'Italo-Americano FRANCESCA BEZZONE S tereotypes , s tereo- types: we detest them but w e can't live without them, really. In the end, there is always a tiny grain of truth in those common knowledge bites that time and habit made more real than reality. And Milan, extraordinary capital of Italy's economic world, of fashion and business has never been exempt from them; indeed, each of the things I have just mentioned are part of the city's most popular features, those for which it is usually known around the coun- try and the world. Just like Rome is the Colosseum, Pisa is the leaning tower and Turin is FIAT or the Mole Antonelliana, in people's collective imagination Milan is business, fashion, high life and, well, little else. Beside the fog, of course. Let's not for- get the fog. Ask any Milanese, or any per- son who made of the city his or her home, and you'll hear an entirely different story, because Milan is a place filled with histo- ry and art, home to fantastic museums (the Pinacoteca di Brera, the Galleria d'Arte Mod- erna, the Museo di Storia Natu- rale), beautiful architecture (the Duomo, of course, but also San Babila, Sant'Ambrogio and the Castello Sforzesco) and plenty of little, characteristic corners many visitors tend to forget about, taken away as they are by the glitz of Via della Spiga and the Triangolo della Moda area. Ask any Milanese, and they'll tell you the real beating heart of their beloved city is there, on the water of the Navigli, ancient waterways born to connect the city with the great lakes Mag- giore and Como and the Ticino and Po rivers, as well as allow- ing direct waterway communica- tion with Switzerland. The immense commercial and eco- nomic value of the Navigli sys- tem is evident: through them, Milan could easily and cheaply remain in touch with some of the most economically active areas of Europe, thus increasing its commercial power, but also irri- gate hectares and hectares of land, a real cure-all for the area's agriculture. But we must be fair to the Navigli, because they are much more than an old fashioned waterway, much more than a bunch of canals currently used for irrigation in the countryside around the city. It is here, in this lesser known part of the città Meneghina, that the aperitivo rit- ual takes place, it is here you bring your lover for a stroll, it is here, maybe, that the real Milan can be seen. And by "real Milan" I don't necessarily mean an old fashioned, romantic ideal of the city, but also its trendy, lively and vibrant youth culture, made of creativity, music and universi- ty students leaving campus to join the waterside movida and laugh away the Friday night. A little corner of Venice, if you will, but do not say it out loud, because I am not too sure Milanese would agree. Historically speaking, the Navigli go back a long way, as building probably started in the 12th century. However, a bit like that other moody old symbol of Milan, the Duomo, they were never quite finished, if it's true the last changes to their course and construction were made in the 1800s. By then, however, the calm, characteristic waterways were very much integrant part of the Milanese landscape. The first Naviglio to be built was the Naviglio Grande, followed then by others, the Naviglio Pavese, Naviglio Martesana, Naviglio di Paderno and Naviglio di Bere- guardo. In the 15th century, the Nav- igli became indissolubly tied with the genius of Leonardo who, for eight fruitful years, from 1482 to 1500, made of Milan his home. Indeed, Leonar- do ideated and constructed a sys- tems of dams to regulate water flow through the Navigli sys- tems and agevolate transport and navigation: today, one of Leonardo's dams can still be seen on the Naviglio Pavese. And it is to Leonardo that Ludovico il Moro, Lord of Milan in those years, asked to create a water system to connect directly the city to Lake Como: although the project never came into being, Leonardo's plans can be still seen in all their glory today, at the Museo della Scienza e della Tecnica. For centuries, the Navigli remained the main commercial artery of the city: imagine that the Candoglia marble used to built the Duomo reached Milan through their waters. Still at the beginning of the 19th century, in 1805, Napoleon considered them an essential asset for the city, but that was to be their swan song: the fast development of the rail- way system and its practicality sent the Navigli into retirement, with many sections eventually covered up or built upon. Yet, their charm remained unscathed, if it's true that, in the early 20th century the Futurist movement, which was against anything deemed old fashioned and not in line with their philosophical and aesthetic conceptions made of action, progress and intervention- ism, declared they would "chal- lenge that vision of moonlight mirrored on the Navigli" typical of Romanticism. And today, what's left of the Navigli, today? Well, when talk- ing about "Navigli" we mostly refer to three: the Naviglio Grande, the Naviglio Pavese and the Naviglio Martesana, the latter known for the beautiful cycling trail running along it. The first two are the heart and soul of Milan's nightlife: bar, pubs, restaurants, lights and music, a warm and welcoming area, simi- lar in conception to the popular Murazzi of Turin, with which they share a similar history made of commercial operativeness, decadence and modern redemp- tion. Strolling along the Navigli is a way to live Milan in its nat- ural essence, witnessing its histo- ry and meeting its people, not only and simply the businessmen and top model types of Via Mon- tenapoleone, but also the students and the families, the youths and the foodies, the romantic and the goths. A mix and match of peo- ple and sounds all to enjoy and experience. With all this water and magic, you'd think to be in Venice… well, don't be that surprised if you even see a gondola elegantly flowing on the Navigli's waters. Just a couple of weeks ago, Ital- ian news outlets reported how Umberto Pagotto from Treviso, an expert gondoliere, decided to "export" an old gondola to Milan and started offering not only plain Navigli tours, but also longer trips including aperitivo on Milan's canals. The initiative became possible thanks to the joint effort of Venice's Reale Società Canottieri Bucintoro and Milan's Canottieri di San Cristo- foro. And if you think the only people forking the 80 euro for the 40 minute trip on Milan's first gondola are the usual for- eign tourists, you'd be mistaken: Italians and Milanese are besot- ted, too. It's a new way to experi- ence the Navigli, a different manner to get to know again an old friend, Milan. The Navigli: a not too secret, yet ready to be discovered corner of Milan At the heart of Milan, a world of water, magic and movida, the Navigli ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES On the Navigli the people of Milan enjoy and relax

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