Digging of the Naviglio Grande began in 1177. It was extended as far as Milan in 1257 when it flowed into the Darsena. It was one of the first canals in Milan and was one of the most important engineering works to be carried out in Lombardy during the Middle Ages. For centuries it performed a fundamental role in the city’s economy by connecting it to the great canal network in Lombardy (it was this way that the large pink marble blocks used for the construction of Milan cathedral entered the city). Today it has lost almost all its commercial value
