Many visitors do not know that Milan was once a city on the water. Not on the scale of Venice, but certainly a city with an impressive network of canals that connected the rivers Ticino and Adda, enabled navigation and trade, and even connected Milan to the sea.
The main actors of that system were Naviglio Grande and Naviglio Pavese, whose waters still flow lazily alongside cafes, studios and galleries.
In the 15th century, while serving at the court of Ludovico Sforza, Leonardo da Vinci left an indelible mark on the Navigli.
His task was to improve the system of locks that allowed ships to move through the different levels of the canal.
Thanks to his solutions, navigation through Milan has become much more efficient, and city life has developed around that network like a heart that pumps vital energy.
Today, you can visit the Watergate Museum and see replicas of his sketches, as well as the remains of a system that functioned for centuries.
Until the end of the 19th century, the canals were used to transport the marble used in the construction of the Duomo cathedral, to supply the city's markets and to remove waste.
But as the era of railroads and automobiles came, the canals lost their industrial function and were neglected and almost forgotten, until artists began to move to that part of the city.
Today, Navigli has been transformed into one of the most colorful districts of Milan. The banks of the canal are lined with galleries, antique shops, small bookstores and bars where you can sit for hours, watching the reflection of light on the water and people just passing by.
There are not many places in Milan where time flows differently, almost asleep.
As you stroll along the Naviglio Grande, the sound of a boat crossing the water can take you back several centuries.
Many say that this is an ideal place for couples, artists, travelers looking for something authentic.
It is especially magical to visit Navigli in the evening, when restaurant lights dance on the surface of the water, and street musicians bring the gentle music of old Milan. Or in the morning, when everything is still asleep, and only you and the water share a moment of silence.
Part of the canal is underground and still functions, although most of it was closed at the beginning of the 20th century.
There are plans to restore more canals and open them to the public, as they once were.
As you cross the bridge over the canal in Milan's Navigli district, you will easily notice the padlocks attached along the fence, and they are various, gold, silver, old and new, with names, dates, and sometimes drawings written on them.
These are not ordinary objects, but locked and promised loves.
The custom came from Rome and Paris, inspired by the movie "Ho voglia di te", in which the couple symbolically "locks" their love with a padlock and throws the key into the river.
In Milan, this ritual has naturally settled right here on the Naviglio Grande and Pavese bridges, where time moves more slowly and water carries memories of love.
For some, it's romance, for others, it's art, and for the city, it's sometimes a problem.
But regardless of whether the padlock will remain, what is indelible is the moment it was placed and the feeling that accompanied it.
If you ever find yourself on that bridge, you might as well bring a small padlock. Not to lock love away, but to let it live among all the other stories rustling above the water.
