They say that for every church in Rome, there’s a bank in Milan. The economic success of postwar Italy can be attributed, at least in part, to this city of bankers, publicists, and pasta power-lunchers.
Like any great city, the more you know about it, the more it entertains. On a recent trip I gained an appreciation of Milan’s “Big Canal”—the Naviglio Grande. Surprisingly, even though landlocked Milan is far from any major lake or river, the city has a sizable port. For nine centuries, a canal has connected Milan with the Mediterranean via the Ticino River, which flows into the Po River on its way to the Adriatic Sea. Five hundred years ago, Leonardo da Vinci helped further develop the city’s canals and designed a modern lock system; you’ll find some of his exquisitely detailed drawings for the canals at Milan’s Biblioteca Ambrosiana.
