The Shades of Old Milan: A Navigli Walking Tour with Context

Milan is often regarded as Italy’s international capital: a global reference point for finance, fashion, and design. On this walking tour of the fascinating Navigli district with Context Travel expert, Luisa Albizzati, you’ll discover colorful corners where true Milanese spirit thrives, via local food, dialects, and traditional crafts.

The tour starts in the iconic square in front of Basilica San Lorenzo Maggiore (the Basilica of St. Lorenzo), where 16 Roman marble columns from a former bath house still stand. From there, you’ll make your way through the heart of Navigli, where squares are scattered with café tables and proprietors sell drinks from shop windows.

As you make your way to Navigli’s canal, Luisa will share the history of Milan, which these very canals shaped. You’ll learn about the city’s urban plan and its distinctive five concentric belts, the first of which is Navigli District. It was thanks to Leonardo da Vinci’s impressive hydraulic designs that these canals became navigable.

You’ll also visit the “bugandee” neighborhood, once home to the city’s washermen, where you’ll have an opportunity to explore Milan’s cutting-edge fashion boutiques and savor delicious street food. After exploring the many different facets of the Navigli, from fashion and nightlife to art and history, the tour finishes along the quiet Alzaia pathway where, at sunset, the only sound will be your footsteps on the cobblestones.

On this 75-minute Navigli walking tour, you’ll have a chance to:

• Pass by Porta Ticinese Medievale, a medieval tower and gate from the 11th century
• Sample the unmissable cannolo (a Sicilian pastry with a sweet creamy filling) at Cannoleria Gourmet Ticinese, traditional treats at the Ticinese Municipal Market and, at Mascherpa Tiramisù, the eponymous dessert
• Take in the impressive Basilica di Sant’Eustorgio, an important church for pilgrims on their way to Roma or the Holy Land, which housed the tomb of the Three Kings
• Stroll along Naviglio Grande, one of five completely artificial canals in Milan
• Peer down at the district’s numerous courtyards from its balconi di ringhiera, stone balconies with iron fences
• Learn about Alda Merini, the voice of Navigli, and her Love Bridge which is filled with love locks
• Find out about Centro dell’Incisione, a magical art space where Leonardo da Vinci is rumored to have painted the famous Lady with the Ermine

By the end of the tour, you’ll have immersed yourself in the unique atmosphere of Old Milan, which has survived alongside the city’s modern, metropolitan counterpart. It’s a Milan beyond your expectations, and this is the perfect tour to understand how traditions endure in this cosmopolitan city.