Navigli

Bohemian lifestyle mingled with on-trend shops, bars and clubs

Popular plate: Head to Rinomata Gelateria on Ripa di Porta Ticinese for Milan’s best ice cream in 40 homemade flavours and served from under 1950s brass domes.
The is one place in Milan where you might see Italian punks, hippies and goths; there’s none of the bella figura obsession of the city centre down in Navigli. Laidback and positively bohemian by sophisticated Milanese standards, by day the Navigli’s two canals are edged with quirky boutiques and artists’ workshops. At sundown the on-trend youth of Milan comes out to play, pouring into the inexpensive bars, osterie and slick pre-clubbing bars lining the canals.

In summer, buskers sing on every corner, restauranteurs shout their wares and barmen try to entice the crowds in. The monthly Mercatone del Naviglio Grande sprawls along the Pavese and Grande canals on the last Sunday of each month, except July, with stalls selling painted glass, crockery, furniture and the odd genuine antique in a frenzied atmosphere.