The best way to get the flavor of the Navigli, Milan`s old canal district, and sample its growing shopping opportunities is to enter the Corso di Porta Ticinese from its beginning at the Piazza Carrobbio.
The best shopping is on the Corso di Porta Ticinese between the two gates-the old Porta Ticinese and the new, or Napoleonic, Porta Ticinese. From the trendy to the traditional, stores run the gamut from antiques and art galleries to leather goods and sportswear shops.
Some of the big designer names, usually associated with the ultra-elegant Via Montenapoleone/Via della Spiga shopping district, also are here, and certainly copies of the hottest looks abound. The difference is that lower rents here tend to result in lower prices-at least 10 percent less than in the more expensive precincts.
This is little comfort given the miserable state of the U.S. dollar in Europe now. The fact is: Fabulous buys are rare, but good quality is not. Proceed accordingly.
Momento Donne, a gracious little shop at No. 58, is a good source of the updated classical look worn by well-bred Milanese women. On an autumn visit, tweed and checked plaid wool-and-cashmere jackets in the smoky earth tones favored in this understated town ran from $275 to $400 (calculated at the rate of 1,130 lire to $1), while cashmere and silk blend sweaters went for $75 to $240.
As trendy as Momento Donne is classic, Marisa, just down the street, is an example of the new breed of fashionable retailers invading the Navigli. A glossy shop, sparely decorated by Memphis with pink marble floors and black wood and glass fixtures, Marisa has all the latest looks done tastefully in quality fabrics. A mustard tweed jacket here was $600, but the shop also offered jackets at about $300, and a wide range of rich-looking corduroy pants and slim short skirts in the sophisticated off-tones associated with Milan went for about $100.
Sportier looks can be found a little farther down the street at Midali. Here, hooded toggle coats, called Montgomerys in Italy, start at $300, and there were wonderful-looking long wool parkas with drawstring waists tagged at $190.
The English country look, long prized by upscale Milanese, rides high at Grossi, at No. 64. A popular long quilted hunting jacket, in forest green with a rich paisley lining and a brown corduroy collar, was available here for $170, as was an anorak in bronze microfiber at $234 and a hooded toggle coat in wool for $250. This genteel shop, featuring well-made clothes for men and women, is packed with heathery sweaters, vests, tweed jackets, shirts, skirts and coats.
For handbags, briefcases, small leather goods, cute hats and accessories, Lazzari, at No. 70, is a tiny treasure. The shop has rich-looking drawstring handbags in suede for about $150, classy belts from about $50, hats from about $65 and tiny well-designed suede bags at $30. The styles here mirror those on the Via della Spiga but at far lower prices.
Those who want to bring back the latest design in Italian eyeglasses would do well to stop off at Ottica, at No. 56. This little shop features avant-garde fare, including signed merchandise by designer Theo that mirrors the oddly angular style of Memphis furniture.
Victorian dresses and accessories are the specialty of La Meta dei Cielo, and more modern, used clothing is the thing at Lo Specchio di Alice. Supertrendy, inexpensive versions of Romeo Gigli jackets, skirts, pants and blouses, priced from about $50, are the focus at Eliogabalo, on the corner where the Corso di Porta Ticinese meets the Piazza XXIV Maggio.
On entering the Piazza XXIV Maggio from the Corso di Porta Ticinese, the canal harbor area is on the right, just beyond the stalls of an outdoor fruit and vegetable market. Continuing to the right, up the Viale Gorizia, is a new sportswear shop for men and women. The shop, Dock of the Bay, is appropriately named: It fronts directly on the Darsena, or canal dock. Specializing in preppy Italian styles with an avant-garde twist, it features tweed jackets and cloudlike angora sweaters.
To the left, a branch of the canal meanders off, bordered by the narrow, cobbled Ripa di Porta Ticinese on the left and the Alzaia Naviglio Grande on the right.
Along the Alzaia are artists` studios, many of them accessible through narrow courtyards but some visible through sidewalk-level windows. Although many specialize in Navigli scenes, the styles are varied as is the subject matter.
At No. 6 on the Alzaia Naviglio Grande is one of the neighborhood`s better restaurants, Posto di Conversazione. Holding only about a dozen yellow- linen-covered tables, the restaurant is open only for dinner and features a small range of pasta, meat and fish dishes.
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Farther along the Alzaia are several antiques dealers, offering everything from furniture to jewelry and prints. In terms of antiques, the best policy here is to look for a sign proclaiming that the dealer is a member of the Sindicato Provinciale Mercanti d`Arte Antica di Milano, which means that the shop belongs to the local professional society to which a buyer may appeal if a dispute or problem develops about the authenticity of the merchandise.
Crossing the canal on the arched footbridge that joins the Alzaia with the Ripa di Porta Ticinese, one arrives at the snappy Birreria al Ponticello. This clean-lined, modern bar, furnished in black and red with big glass windows overlooking the canal, is one of the new types of cafe-bars, featuring jazz, which is sparking Navigli night life.
To the left, at No. 27 on the Ripa, is a museum of children`s toys. The Museo del Giocattoloe del Bambino, closed on Mondays, charges an entrance fee of $4.50 for adults and $2.50 for children.
Moving back toward the dock area, in the same building, handpainted modern designs on T-shirts, table linens and fabrics can be found at the shop- studio of Luisa Grosser. Next door, at No. 25, Ripa Antica features a selection of antique jewelry and clothing.
For those enamored of the offbeat fashion designs of Franco Moschino, Detective is the shop. This year-old shop, specializing in lingerie, sleepwear and ties, carries Moschino T-shirts at $50, ties at $65 and bodystockings at about $120, along with a wide range of other labels.
As elsewhere in Milan, most stores in the Navigli are closed on Monday morning but otherwise are open between about 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. daily and from about 3:30 p.m. until about 7:30 p.m.
Sunday shopping is virtually unknown here, but the Navigli hosts a huge outdoor antiques fair on the last Sunday of every month from September through June, on which day many of the neighborhood shops are open.