<P> The Naviglio Grande is a canal in Lombardy, northern Italy, joining the Ticino river near Tornavento (23 km south of Sesto Calende) to the Porta Ticinese dock, also known as the Darsena, in Milan . It drops 34 m over 49.9 km . It varies in width from 22 m to 50 m from Tornavento to Abbiategrasso, dropping to 15 m between there and Milan . Initially carries 63 m3 per second, 116 outlets take water to irrigate 500 square kilometres leaving the canal 12 m wide and carrying 12 m3 per second as it enters the dock . </P> <P> The Naviglio Grande was the most important of the Milanese "navigli". Probably originating as a ditch dug in 1157 between Abbiategrasso and Landriano as a defense against Frederick Barbarossa, it was one of the largest medieval engineering projects, allowing development of commerce, transport and agriculture . </P>

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