The Venetian Marco Polo, moreover, not only described most of Asia in a broadly reliable way, but also acted as the supreme interpreter and representative of the international mercantile character of his homeland Venice. It is clear that the fame and glory of the Serenissima as the commercial capital of the West was largely created and spread by this extraordinary and adventurous son of the city. Significantly, he was named after its patron, St. Mark, whose remains were also brought from the East, in this case the Near East. Celebrating Marco Polo and his travels 700 years after his death provides an important opportunity to recount his superlative and incomparable life and his knowledge of those distant lands and peoples [his books were written “so that people may know the things that exist in the world…”].
It also reveals the relations between these different worlds today and how the “Silk Roads” have not lost their importance or relevance.
