Bazar del Naviglio Grande — Attraction in Milan

Great experience mingling amongst the locals here. We came 2 hrs before dusk and got to see how the denizen spend their pastime. Parking spaces were hard to come by; we walked a few blocks to get here as the canal itself isn't accessible by car. The canal is akin to a mini Venice, but much less hectic/crowded and more cozy/chill due to less tourism. Eateries, pubs, nightclubs, cafes serving appertivos and dinner, street performers (1 guy was singing American covers w his acoustic guitar), boutiques, art galleries, line both sides of the canals. Every now and then, gondolas can be seen in the water below. In all, if you can't make it to Venice, this place will provide a good preview. Not as much shopping to be done here, but I daresay the nightlife is good, if not better, than Venice (and...

The Naviglio Grande is a canal in Lombardy, northern Italy, joining the Ticino river near Tornavento (23 km south of Sesto Calende) to the Porta Ticinese dock, also known as the Darsena, in Milan. It drops 34 m over 49.9 km. It varies in width from 22 m to 50 m from Tornavento to Abbiategrasso, dropping to 15 m between there and Milan. Initially carries 63 m³ per second, 116 outlets take water to irrigate 500 square kilometres leaving the canal 12 m wide and carrying 12 m³ per second as it...

Milan's canals are a hive of activity, from the canalside bars & restaurants, to the floating barbers shop Marios, & on a Saturday a market which is like a cross between Greenwich & Deptford markets. It's barely a two minute walk from the station to the canal & it can be reached by train, bus or my favourite form of transport in Milan, tram. A buzzy atmosphere, lots of opportunities for people watching & a drink or a bite to eat, it's a relaxing place to spend...