Waterways Explorer: Canals as Greenways Today -Battaglia and Bisato Canals-

Rivers and navigable canals have always played a vital role as communication routes. People and goods could get about more easily than they could using the precarious land routes of the time. Thus, since medieval times, a number of artificial canals were dug in parts of Veneto and Northern Italy to link up the existing rivers, creating a rich network of navigable waterways. Along these “liquid highways” numerous vessels loaded with cargo would once have been seen. Today, rather, a new prospective is opening up for our rivers and canals, largely thanks to their environmental and cultural qualities: authentic green corridors within a context of increasing urban pressure.