The Darsena is the old commercial dock of Milan, the basin where the Naviglio Grande and the Naviglio Pavese meet and where, for centuries, barges unloaded the stone, grain, and goods that built the city — including the Candoglia marble for the Duomo. By the late 20th century it had silted into a neglected car park; a 2015 restoration, timed to the Expo, reopened the water and laid out promenades and a market along its banks.
Today it is the social hinge of the Navigli, busiest from early evening when the surrounding bars fill for the aperitivo. A produce-and-flowers market runs along the Viale d'Annunzio side, and footpaths let you walk the full rim of the basin. It is the natural place to start or end an evening in the canal district, with the two Navigli leading off it in either direction.