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25-485: The Naviglio Grande was the most important of the Milanese “ navigli ”. Probably originating as a ditch dug in 1157 between Abbiategrasso and Landriano as a defense against Frederick Barbarossa , it was one of the largest medieval engineering projects, allowing development of commerce, transport and agriculture. In 1177, construction began near Tornavento, but problems stopped work almost immediately. In 1179 however,

50-487: A constant flow of water. The canal was to run alongside the river until Cassano d'Adda , where it would curve away in a south-westerly direction towards Milan, then hug the town walls of Inzago, turn towards Trecella and Melzo, and finally end up in the River Molgora. Because of the political situation of the time, nothing happened until 1457, when Francesco Sforza 's edict, underwritten by Cicco Simonetta , marked

75-580: A dam was constructed and water from the Ticino was directed towards Turbigo , Castelletto di Cuggiono, Bernate and Boffalora reaching Gaggiano in 1233. This 30 km (19 mi) section, the “Navigium de Gazano” took over 50 years to dig by hand using only pickaxe and shovel. Prisoners from Turbigo were put to work in 1239 to increase the carrying capacity of the canal. In 1258, the Naviglio Grande reached Milan. New taxes were levied to continue

100-477: A group of illustrious Milanese citizens led by Catellano Cotta, the duke's administrator for the salt monopoly. The project aims to deviate the River Adda and thus build a canal for irrigation and to feed up to 16 mill wheels. The design included a water intake positioned just below the castle of Trezzo sull'Adda, where the natural course of the river narrows, therefore producing a current sufficient to guarantee

125-639: A system of interconnected canals in and around Milan , in the Italian region of Lombardy , dating back as far as the Middle Ages. The system consists of five canals: Naviglio Grande , Naviglio Pavese , Naviglio Martesana , Naviglio di Paderno , Naviglio di Bereguardo . The first three were connected through Milan via the Fossa Interna , also known as the Inner Ring. The urban section of

150-612: Is a canal in the Lombardy region, Northern Italy . Running from the Adda river , in the vicinity of Trezzo sull'Adda , to Milan , it was also known as Naviglio Piccolo ( Lombard : Navijett [naʋiˈjɛt] ). It is part of the system of navigli of the Milan area. Approximately 38 kilometres (24 mi) long, with a substantial section covered over or infilled, its width varies between 9 and 18 metres (30 and 59 ft), while

175-582: The Fossa Interna (or Inner Ring). Today, after merging with the river Seveso , the underground course becomes the Cavo Redefossi in the vicinity of Porta Nuova, runs under the cerchia dei bastioni to Porta Romana, follows Corso Lodi and Via Emilia, finally ending up in the River Lambro . The history of the canal begins on June 3, 1443, date of a document by Filippo Maria Visconti , Duke of Milan , approving an ambitious project put forward by

200-701: The Istituto per i Navigli has been campaigning for the return of navigation on the canal. The project, called From Switzerland to the Sea promotes the restoration of the canal as part of a long distance waterway linking Lake Maggiore (partly in Switzerland) to Venice (Italy). 45°27′N 9°10′E  /  45.450°N 9.167°E  / 45.450; 9.167 Navigli The navigli ( Italian pronunciation: [naˈviʎʎi] ; Lombard : Navili [naˈʋiːli] , singular and plural ) are

225-642: The Naviglio Martesana was covered over at the beginning of the 1930s, together with the entire Inner Ring, thus sounding the death knell for the north-eastern canals. Commercial carrying continued on the Naviglio Grande, but the decline was steady and by the 1960s a project of a fluvial port to reach the Po River and consequentially the Adriatic Sea through the canals was shelved for good. The ancient Celtic settlement that gave rise to Milan

250-646: 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

275-577: The Rivers Adda and Ticino . It was initially constructed by the engineer Bertola de Nova (1410–75) and inaugurated in 1465 by Bianca Maria Sforza . Between 1484 and 1500, Leonardo da Vinci was a guest of the Sforza court and during the 19th century was at times credited with the design of the basins and a direct participation in the completion of the Martesana. Today all that is certain is that in

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300-461: 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

325-445: The depth is between one and three metres (3 and 10 ft). Originally named Naviglio Piccolo , it subsequently changed to Martesana from the name of the county across which it runs. Along the way it crosses the boundaries of the villages of Trezzo sull'Adda , Vaprio d'Adda , Cassano d'Adda , Inzago , Bellinzago Lombardo , Gessate , Gorgonzola , Bussero , Cassina de' Pecchi , Cernusco sul Naviglio and Vimodrone , and takes

350-636: The digging, and although the work stopped again following opposition from the citizens and clergy, the whole canal was navigable from 1272, when the deepening and widening of the canal bed was completed by Giacomo Arribotti and the canal reached the bridge of Sant'Eustorgio (now Porta Ticinese ). Although intended mostly for irrigation, pontoons called cobbie quickly began using the canal to take salt, grain, wine, manufactured goods, fabric, tableware, manure and ash upriver to Lake Maggiore and Switzerland, bringing back livestock, cheese, hay, coal, lumber, sand, marble and granite. The small lake of Sant'Eustorgio

375-446: The flow of water by resorting to canalization and drainage. 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

400-519: The name Martesana from this area (Martesana County was established during the late Roman ages). The canal enters Milan alongside Via Padova until Cassina dei Pom : at the junction with Via Melchiorre Gioia it disappears underground following the route of Via Melchiorre Gioia itself southwards. In the past it would have passed through the Fossa dell'Incoronata and the Laghetto di San Marco to connect with

425-657: The needs of the city's daily life. Today, the canals are mostly used for irrigation . Some tourist navigation options are also available along certain sections. 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. This Lombardy location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Naviglio Martesana The Naviglio della Martesana ( Lombard : Nivili de la Martexana or Martesanna [niˈʋiːri de la marteˈzana] )

450-469: The network could be expanded to serve the whole region, especially in transferring troops rapidly between defensive castles. Between 1830 and the end of the century, traffic averaged 8,300 boats of all sizes coming and going, carrying 350,000 long tons (360,000 t) per year. It peaked again during the second world war – with Allied planes bombing road and rail, water transport again became useful for transporting goods. The surge in activity continued after

475-467: The occasion of his second stay at Ambrosia, to design a direct link between Milan and the Adda upstream of its non-navigable stretch, between Paderno and Trezzo. Leonardo provided two possible solutions: the opening of a new canal which from Paderno would head west crossing the plain before turning south at Milan or, alternatively, a daring project with counterweighted canals, wells and locks in tunnels dug into

500-648: The rock that overlooks the right bank of the river, where the Paderno canal was later built. But the Sforza dream of connecting Milan directly with Lake Como had to wait almost another three centuries: after many attempts, the difference in height of the Adda between Brivio and Trezzo was overcome by the Naviglio di Paderno only in October 1777. Today it is a popular recreational area, known for its tranquil and traffic free cycling paths. For an Italian bibliography see

525-456: The schematic image of Milan in plan and horizontal profile the Martesana is reported by Leonardo as an already completed work, while in a subsequent sheet the drawings and notes relating to the basin of San Marco, which will determine the construction methods of the hydraulic device for the future can be seen. On the other hand, it is certain that in 1516 Francesco I commissioned Leonardo, on

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550-405: The start of design work. The project was seen as being of great public benefit: since the war between Milan and Venice , Sforza had realised the military and economic potential of a navigable canal in an area that, at the time, was considered to be of strategic importance to the dukedom. So he modified the original project, to put it into a wider context giving the city of Milan a water connection to

575-492: The war - in 1953 Porta Ticinese dock was the 13th largest in the country in terms of goods received. However, an increase in the value of goods and strong interests supporting road transport caused a rapid decline. During the sixties, the Fossa Interna was covered over and on March 30, 1979, the last cargo of sand was unloaded at the Darsena . Since then the canal has been used only for its original purpose, irrigation. Recently

600-456: 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

625-542: Was linked to the Fossa Interna (also known as the Cerchia Interna or Inner Ring) of Milan using a new system of two locks to control the water level, thereby allowing boats to reach Piazza Santo Stefano. This was to allow the canal to be used in transporting stone and marble for the Duomo , whose construction started in 1386. This confirmed the canal to be the most valuable form of transport of Milan, and proved that

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