Most of Milan's canals are gone — paved over a century ago — but the two that survive, the Naviglio Grande and the Naviglio Pavese, still do the thing water does to a city at the end of the day. Around six, the light goes amber, the reflections double everything, and the towpaths fill with people negotiating the serious Milanese question of where to have aperitivo.
There is real history under the postcard. These canals were an engineering feat, and Leonardo da Vinci spent years on the locks that made them navigable. The audio here is worth having precisely because none of that is visible from a café table — you need someone to tell you the water you're looking at once carried the marble for the Duomo.
Then close the notebook and pick a table. In Navigli, the correct amount of planning ends at golden hour.