By the end of 13th century, water was seen as a way to transport people and objects. The construction of water canals would become a on-going struggle that continues to this day. It took thirty-five years, from 1439 until 1475, to buildninety kilometers of navigable canals in the Province of Milan.

there was a large lagoon with several small, marshy islands separated by natural canals. As the settlement grew and they began to build better buildings, the natural canals were made wider and deeper to allow the building materials to be moved around the lagoon by boat.