Conca Fallata, Navigation basin in Conchetta district, Milan, Italy
Conca Fallata is a navigation lock on the Naviglio Pavese canal in the southern part of Milan, used to move boats between two different water levels. It consists of a walled chamber with gates on each end that allow the water inside to rise or fall in a controlled way.
The lock was built in the late 15th century under Ludovico Sforza to connect the Naviglio Pavese with the rest of Milan's canal network. It was rebuilt and modified several times in the following centuries but has remained in use ever since.
Conca Fallata sits along the Naviglio Pavese, a canal that once carried goods south toward Pavia. People still walk the towpaths beside it, stop at the nearby bars, and watch the occasional boat pass through.
The best place to watch the lock in action is from the paved path running along the canal bank. It is worth waiting a little, as the lock is not always in use and boats pass through at irregular times.
Leonardo da Vinci worked as an engineer on Milan's canal system and developed the horizontal lock chamber system still in use today. Conca Fallata is one of the few places where his engineering ideas can still be seen in a working structure.
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