History

When East Met West: The True Legacy of Marco Polo

The renowned journey of the Venetian merchant Marco Polo across Asia at the close of the 13th century continues to serve as a testament to tolerance and cultural exchange, that remains relevant even after the passage of more than seven centuries.

A close-up of the Catalan Atlas depicting Marco Polo travelling to the East (via Wikipedia). In the original, the caravan is depicted upside down on the fifth folio of the Atlas, and thus is actually heading east.

Trade, Tolerance, and the Power of Looking

At the conclusion of the 13th century, lacking any formal decree from the Republic of Venice, with no intention of paving the way for any army, and with no other help than the ambiguous support of the Western Church, a young Venetian merchant, Marco Polo, embarked on a journey to China, following in the footsteps of his father, Nicolò, and his uncle, Matteo. Niccolò and Matteo had already journeyed across Asia to reach the Far East some years earlier. Together with Marco, they now joined the caravans moving along the vast network of trade routes known as the Silk Road — a path that wound through deserts, treacherous mountain passes, forgotten cities, and unfamiliar empires.
Over the course of three years, they covered nearly 9,000 kilometers, eventually reaching the capital of the Chinese Empire, then governed by the Mongol…