The Naviglio district is one of the liveliest in Milan - here you can visit art galleries, boutiques, cozy cafes, and restaurants. As you stroll along the Grande canal, right at its beginning, almost by the Darsena, be sure to seek out a little street that looks very much like the setting of a kind children's fairy tale. Its small stone houses, sheltered by an old tiled roof, seem to be immersed in the lush greenery of carefully tended plants. Before you is one of the most beautiful and romantic little streets in Milan - Washermen's Alley.
Long ago, there was a public laundry on this spot. Curiously, in those days it was customary for men to take care of such a difficult and responsible task as washing clothes, which is why the word "laundress" in Italian is masculine!
Today you will no longer find any laundries here, but it is still worth stopping by - it is truly a curious and quite charming historic corner of the city.
