Porta Genova is a neighborhood ("

quartiere A (; plural: ) is a territorial subdivision of certain Italian towns. The word derives from (‘fourth’) and was thus properly used only for towns divided into four neighborhoods by the two main roads. It has been later used as a synonymous ...

") of

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, located within the Zone 6 administrative division. The name "Porta Genova" means "

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

gate"; the district is named after a city gate of the old Spanish Walls of Milan, namely that leading to

, that used to be in what is now Piazza Cantore. The only remnants of the old gate are the small buildings that used to house the customs offices, which replaced the Spanish gate in the 19th Century. As for all Milanese ''quartieri'', the boundaries of Porta Genova are not formally defined; yet, they are usually thought of as comprising Via Solari, Via Bergognone, the

Naviglio Grande The Naviglio Grande is a canal in Lombardy, northern Italy, connecting the Ticino river near Tornavento ( south of Sesto Calende) to the Porta Ticinese dock, also known as the ''Darsena'', in Milan. It drops over . It varies in width from from ...

canal and the Darsena. The district is centered in Piazza Cantore, where the city gate used to be, and the Porta Genova railway station, the oldest Milanese railway station to be still in operation. The station is the

terminus Terminus may refer to: * Bus terminus, a bus station serving as an end destination * Terminal train station or terminus, a railway station serving as an end destination Geography *Terminus, the unofficial original name of Atlanta, Georgia, United ...

of the railway connecting Milan and Mortara. Since the station is in the centre of Porta Genova, the district is divided in two parts by the railway; an old iron bridge connecting the two sides known as "la scaletta" (the "ladder"), located next to the station, is one of the traditional landmarks of the district. Porta genova 1886

Porta Genova is also characterized by the

Navigli The navigli (; lmo, Navili ) are a system of interconnected canals in and around Milan, in the Italian region of Lombardy, dating back as far as the Middle Ages. The system consists of five canals: Naviglio Grande, Naviglio Pavese, Naviglio Mart ...

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...

s and the Darsena (the old

dock A dock (from Dutch language, Dutch ''dok'') is the area of water between or next to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore) or such structures themselves. The ex ...

), where two major Navigli meet, namely the

and the

Naviglio Pavese The Naviglio Pavese is one of the canals making up the Navigli system in Lombardy, Italy. Once navigable, it is long and connected the city of Milan to Pavia, and through a flight of six locks to the River Ticino. Construction started in 1564, b ...

. As a consequence, much of the district is traversed by watercourses. One of the best known landmarks of the canal banks in Porta Genova is Vicolo Lavandaie, a small alley where Milanese woman used to wash clothes in the Naviglio's waters. While Porta Genova is one of the most old-fashioned districts in Milan, and it is strongly connected to the tradition. It is also extremely popular with the Milanese youth, both for the night-life (especially along the banks of the Naviglio) and its anti-comformist atmosphere. This reflects, for example, in the almost ubiquitous

street art Street art is visual art created in public locations for public visibility. It has been associated with the terms "independent art", "post-graffiti", "neo-graffiti" and guerrilla art. Street art has evolved from the early forms of defiant graff ...

works, the numerous" alternative" shops, as well as the peculiar character of the main street market of the area, the Fiera di Senigallia, which is renowned as one of the best places in Milan where to look for unusual, rare and bizarre merchandise.

References

{{Districts of Milan Districts of Milan Entertainment districts in Italy

See also

References