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Former city port
The small lake of Darsena, next to the Porta Ticinese, is all that remains of the complex system of canals and rivers which have crossed the city of Milan since Roman times. The Naviglio Grande which ran from Abbiategrasso,ran into this lake, as well as the Pavese canal which joins it at the junction of the Ticino and the Olona river which today runs underground.
La Darsena was built in 1603 by the Spanish governor the Count of Fuentes. It was there that cargoes were loaded and unloaded from the barges which reached the city via the Lombardian rivers. It found its present form in 1920 when, with the demolition of the Spanish ramparts it was expanded and the long commercial quay was constructed along Via D'Annunzio where on Saturday the traditional Sinigaglia market takes place.
It was through the Darsena that the regional canals were linked up with the city system, enabling and developing the commercial and artisanal activity of the city. The city centre was thus linked by a water network to the Ticino, the Adda and the Po and so to the sea and the great lakes of Lombardy
| Neighborhood: | Downtown |
| Address: | Porta Ticinese |
| Milan, 20123 | |
| Nearest train: | MM2 Porta Genova |