The Navigli Project: A Digital Uncovering of Milan’s Aquatic Geographies

The Navigli Project is a virtual exhibit that illustrates the cultural history of the waterways of Milan, Italy. Inaugurated in 2016 in the context of an experimental Humanities Lab, this digital mapping project encourages the cultural conservation of water in Milan and promotes water education among its citizens. After providing a very brief history of Milan’s waterways (which were almost entirely covered in the 1930s), this article describes the materials and digital platforms the project utilizes and its many objectives, which include expanding the borders of Italian Studies and Eco-Digital Humanities while remaining deeply rooted in each discipline, serving as reference point for anyone interested in urban waters and those of Milan in particular, and providing students with a broad set of digital and thinking skills that are easily transferable to other courses, projects, disciplines, and careers. Ultimately, the article shows how the Navigli Project anchors artistic and cultural practices to the “real” world by following concepts, metaphors, and creative strategies across media, time, and space and thus draws attention to their rootedness in the materiality of the world.