THE SPECIAL EDITION – The box set of “Il Milione” by Marco Polo and “Le città invisibili” by Italo Calvino was created as a celebratory edition for the 700th anniversary of the death of the Venetian merchant-explorer but also of the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of the most multifaceted writers of the Italian twentieth century, Italo Calvino. In this juxtaposition of the two works, the real stories of Marco Polo’s travels are accompanied by the imaginary ones that Calvino’s visionary explorer tells to Emperor Kublai Khan.

This celebratory edition also constitutes an action to promote Italian literature, with the aim of stimulating the Chinese public to immerse themselves in reading a classic Italian text such as “Il Milione” (proposed here in a selection of 55 cities present within of the Chinese borders, favoring those that have played a fundamental role in the narration of the essence of Chinese civilization) and, at the same time，further spread the knowledge of one of the most well-known and translated contemporary Italian authors throughout the world, namely Italo Calvino.

The initiative, promoted by the Italian Cultural Institute in Beijing, was made possible thanks to the collaboration of the Chinese publishing house Yilin and the support of the Dante Alighieri Society.

THE EVENT – Last March 20, at the Italian Cultural Institute in Beijing, the presentation event of the celebratory edition of “Il Milione” by Marco Polo and “Le città invisibili” by Italo Calvino was held. In this juxtaposition between the two works, the real stories of Marco Polo’s travels are accompanied by the imaginary ones that Calvino’s visionary explorer tells to Emperor Kublai Khan.

The commemorative edition was part of the initiatives promoted by Italian cultural diplomacy on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the death of the Venetian merchant-explorer, but also for the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of the most illustrious writers of the Italian twentieth century.

The event was opened by greetings from the Italian Ambassador, Massimo Ambrosetti, and from the Director of the Italian Cultural Institute, Federico Roberto Antonelli. The event concluded with a speech by the Director General for Public and Cultural Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Alessandro De Pedys.

The initiative was carried out by the Italian Cultural Institute in Beijing, in collaboration with the Italian Embassy, ​​with the support of the Dante Alighieri Society.

Prof. Federico Wen Zheng of Beijing Foreign Studies University and Prof. Silvano Cheng Mo of Peking University, authoritative scholars of Calvino and Marco Polo, have edited an illuminating prologue for the two works present in the celebratory box set.

The box set was also enriched by two illustrations by the Italian artist Emanuele Luzzati, who gave a unique visual dimension to this commemorative publication.