Navigli

You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Italian. (January 2023) Click [show] for important translation instructions. View a machine-translated version of the Italian article. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Consider adding a topic to this template: there are already 3,071 articles in the main category, and specifying|topic= will aid in categorization. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Italian Wikipedia article at [[:it:Navigli (Milano)]]; see its history for attribution. You should also add the template {{Translated|it|Navigli (Milano)}} to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

The navigli (Italian pronunciation: [naˈviʎʎi]; Lombard: Navili [naˈʋiːli], singular and plural) are a system of interconnected canals in and around Milan, in the Italian region of Lombardy, dating back as far as the Middle Ages.^[1]

The system consists of five canals:

The ancient Celtic settlement that gave rise to Milan was later replaced by a Roman one; the latter, which was called by the ancient Romans "Mediolanum", was then in turn replaced by a medieval settlement. But the urban center of Milan has steadily grown , until modern times, around the first Celtic nucleus.

The Celtic settlement had only one river namely the Nirone, and a fountain, the Molia (or Mollia). The Nirone lapped the ancient Mediolanum, while the Molia flowed near the settlement, collecting some irrigation from the north. Both of these were within the region of the Olona, which flowed further west, and the Seveso, whose natural bed was located further east.

The three major rivers (Lambro, Seveso and Olona) flow in their natural beds, the Lambro and the Olona furthest from the city, with the Seveso being closer. Of the three, the only one that has not changed over the centuries is the Lambro, which still flows in its ancient natural bed, while the Olona and Seveso were diverted by the ancient Romans.

The territory as a whole had plenty of water given that the settlement was located on the "line of fountains", between geological layers with different permeability, which allows deep waters to resurface on the surface. To perform agriculture the Celts had to regulate the flow of water by resorting to canalization and drainage.^[2]

In 222 BC the ancient Romans conquered Milan. Roman cities were large consumers of water, both for public and domestic uses, and Romans studied hydraulic engineering in depth. But Mediolanum did not need aqueducts, given that water was abundant and easily accessible because it emerged from the ground from the resurgences and flowed nearby in rivers and streams, and this fully met the needs of the city's daily life. ^[3]

Modern usage

Today, the canals are mostly used for irrigation. Some tourist navigation options are also available along certain sections.^[4]

Modern life around the Navigli

In the 21st century the Navigli region of Milan is a highly active area with a large number of residential units, bars and restaurants. It is also a well known center for artists. ^[5]

References

Sources

• Toti Celona and Gianni Beltrame, I Navigli milanesi, storia e prospettive, Milano, Pizzi editore, 1982, ISBN 978-88-36600-01-4.

Edo Bricchetti and Giuseppe Codara · Navigli del Milanese ieri e oggi, Meravigli, 2017

See also

• River valley civilization

External links

• Martesana Canal - Historic and present pictures
• Inner ring - Historic and present pictures
• Darsena - Historic and present pictures

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Navigli di Milano.

This Lombardy location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e