Milan
Alone

PRACTICAL SAMPLE

Eating Around the Navigli

Masuelli San Marco (Viale Umbria 80, in the southeast; despite the San Marco in its name it is not in the Navigli, so check the route before you set out) is a proper restaurant, not a bar, run by the same family for the past century. It serves traditional Milanese food: risotto, cotoletta, braised meat. It’s the kind of place where you dress up a bit and settle in for the meal.

For a different angle on the Navigli, look into an aperitivo cruise on the Naviglio Grande. Operators such as Navigami run small-group boats from spring through fall, roughly an hour on the water with a drink and finger food, and some pair the cruise with dinner at a canal-side restaurant afterward. Check the operator’s current route page before booking: routes run on set days, and high or low water can temporarily limit service.

A free excerpt from Milan Alone.