Marco Polo International Programme
The Marco Polo International Programme
In 2024, the year marking the 700th anniversary of the death of one of the world’s great explorers, Marco Polo, the University of Warwick is proud to partner with 36 global institutions to launch the Marco Polo International Programme.
The Programme champions the power, importance and impact of cultural interaction, engagement and discovery – both in the past and in the present – and underlines Warwick’s ongoing commitment to creating connections across cultures and across the globe.
As part of the Marco Polo International Programme, Warwick academics, in conjunction with our European, Singaporean and Chinese partners, are involved in:
- the rediscovery, restoration and public display of 14th century records of Venetian travellers in India;
- the high-resolution scanning and interdisciplinary study of textiles, ceramics and lacquerware to aid our understanding of goods that travelled across the Silks Roads culminating in a series of virtual and physical exhibitions across the globe;
- the first-ever digitisation of the writings of the Islamic traveller Ibn Battuta as he explored around Africa and Asia;
- a deep dive into the worlds and cultures, which Marco Polo travelled through;
- the uncovering of the views of modern travellers to China during key moments of 20th century Chinese history;
- as well as a wider re-examination of what is at stake in travel writing – in the past and today.
At the same time our students – and those from a wide number of our global University partners – will be developing their own skills in global engagement by taking part in Warwick’s International Conference of Undergraduate Research, as well as celebrating their similarities and differences on our campus through our Global Celebrations ‘One World Week’ and International Students Day programme.
And together with our local communities, we are celebrating the global cultures of Coventry through Warwick’s Resonate Festival of Arts and World Cultures, as well as coming together to celebrate the Flame of Friendship, created by Warwick working in conjunction with Coventry schools in honour of the upcoming Olympics.
I offer my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been involved in making the Marco Polo International Programme a reality in Warwick, Venice and across our global partners.
Prof Michael Scott
Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International), University of Warwick, UK.
Get Involved
Ibn Battuta Digitization project
Warwick, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia and NTU Singapore are collaborating to complete a digital version of Ibn Battuta’s Travels that has been already partially made and put online on the Engineering Historical Memory Link opens in a new windowwebsite. The team aim to have the digitasion of the text finished by the beginning of 2025.
Shadow Play: Transnational encounters between Italy and Maoist China in the footsteps of Marco Polo
The 'reportage from China' is a sub-genre in itself in Italian literature, also thanks to the long-lasting popularity of Marco Polo's Milione across the centuries. This workshop will focus on those writers and directors who, since the late 1940s to Mao Zedong's death, traveled to Communist China, describing the radical newness of the Chinese revolution in Marco Polo's most ancient footsteps.
This event is open to everyone, no ticket is needed, and those wishing to attend remotely can contact f.camilletti@warwick.ac.uk.
Marco Polo Summer School
Students from China, Warwick and around the globe will be gathering at the Warwick Venice Centre for a summer school focused around the theme of Marco Polo and the Silks Roads. The project is led by Dr Milija Gluhovic (Theatre and Performance Studies Department, University of Warwick) and developed as one of the EUTOPIA Connected Community Education projects.
One World Week
Join us across the Warwick UK Campus for a student-led celebration of One World Week and the global cultures that make up our community, co-ordinated as part of the University's Global Celebrations Programme. This week-long celebration will culminate in a celebration of International Students Day on 17th November. More details of events coming soon!
Marco Polo: Antecedents, History and Legacy
Ca Foscari University (Venice, Italy), Fudan University (Shanghai) and University of Warwick - alongside other global institutions - are participating in the opening of a new exhibition on Marco Polo at Shanghai Museum and a conference 'Marco Polo: Antecedents, History and Legacy' at Fudan University.
The Traveller's Tale: Global Forms and Circulations
Warwick's Global History and Culture Centre will convene a special conference with speakers from around the world on the art and science of telling stories about travel - through time and across the globe.
Workshop: Silk and Textiles between East and West
Luca Molà and Eugenio Burgio have organized a workshop that will take place both at the WVC and at Ca’ Foscari in December.
Expert Insight: Marco Polo
Professor Marina Montesano provides expert comment on Marco Polo.
Expert Insight: Zheng He
Professor Tensen Sen provides expert comment on Zheng He.
International Conference of Undergraduate Research (ICUR)
ICUR 2024 is part of the University's Marco Polo International Programme. As a symbol of that, for the very first time, ICUR was also broadcast live from the Warwick Venice Centre. This year we're delighted to welcome students from Brazil, Germany and different locations in the USA.
Warwick restores historical Venetian document
A collaborative project setup by Dr Luca Mola, University of Warwick, between the Venetian State Archives and the Museum of Asian Art in Venice will aim to restore and re-evaluate an important testimony on Venetian merchants who followed in the steps of Marco Polo.
Bringing Marco Polo's Adventures to Life With AI Innovation 700 Years After His Death
A new AI Marco Polo has been unveiled by researchers at The University of Warwick in the latest move to increase innovation and cultural enrichment.
Imagine having a conversation with Marco Polo, delving into his adventures and the myriad cultures he encountered on his epic travels. The AI Marco Polo technology brings this to life, offering users an immersive and educational experience that transcends time. Utilising advanced AI, this technology combines state-of-the-art innovation with educational excellence.
Developed by a team of experts led by the University’s Deputy-Pro-Vice-Chancellor (East and South-East Asia) Professor Sai Gu, this cutting-edge artificial intelligence allows users to engage in interactive conversations with the legendary explorer Marco Polo. Launched as part of the University’s new Marco Polo International Programme, and working closely with the Warwick Venice Centre, this initiative is set to revolutionise cultural exchange and education along the historic Silk Road, from Venice through to Asia and beyond.
In the Footsteps of History, a groundbreaking educational initiative of historical journeys led by acclaimed contemporary explorers, is thrilled to collaborate with the University of Warwick’s Marco Polo International Programme by incorporating the AI Marco Polo in its educational offering to schools across the US. A natural fit with our “In the Footsteps of Marco Polo” journey (https://inthefootsteps.org/marco-polo/), which features immersive 3D gaming, and academic enrichment activities, this partnership reflects unique and innovative pedagogical methods, combined with advanced technology, to craft dynamic tools that highlight the importance of cultural exchange, broadened worldviews, and respect for diverse cultures.
Latest Marco Polo News and Stories
Exclusive interview with alumnus and Lonely Planet co-founder, Tony Wheeler
Philanthropist and co-founder of the Lonely Planet, Tony Wheeler, has funded and launched a new series of PhD scholarships in the history of travel writing at the University of Warwick.
Sardine and Prawn Venetian Style with Marco Polo's Spice Route: SAOR
As we mark the 700th anniversary of the legendary explorer Marco Polo's death, the University of Warwick, in collaboration with renowned Italian chef Aldo Zilli, is bringing ancient Venetian recipes back to life. These culinary treasures, dating back to the time of Marco Polo, represent a rich tapestry of cultural exchange and exploration, mirroring the spices and flavours the explorer introduced to Europe from his travels.
Flame of Friendship finale – the Olympic inspired celebration bringing together over 700 local children in flash mob style parade
The event, hosted at the University’s Sports and Wellness Hub, brought 63 schools together in a colourful and lively parade inspired by the upcoming Paris Olympics, including a flash-mob like performance of an Olympic themed dance choreographed by the Royal Opera House.
International Conference of Undergraduate Research 2024
This year we welcomed presentations from over 300 undergraduates from institutions across six continents. In a new development for 2024, ICUR was broadcast live from the Warwick Venice Centre where students participated in several research sessions.
SJTU Warwick Conference
On 22nd-23rd June the University of Warwick and Shanghai Jiao Tong University held a joint conference to mark the occasion of the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo's death. Keynote speeches included Professor Luca Mola, University of Warwick.
Warwick restores unique historical Venetian document
A collaborative project setup by Dr Luca Mola, University of Warwick, between the Venetian State Archives and the Museum of Asian Art in Venice will aim to restore and re-evaluate an important testimony on the Venetian merchants who followed in the steps of Marco Polo in the decade after his death
Talk to a virtual Marco Polo
Utilizing advanced artificial intelligence technology to create a virtual image of Marco Polo that can engage in natural conversations with users, providing historical information, cultural interpretations, and educational answers
Meet our students
Warwick is home to over 9,500 students from 147 countries. We are delighted to share an insight into a typical day in the life of international student, Shuangting who is in their first year at Warwick studying PhD Theatre and Performance Studies:
New research and findings on Marco Polo and Venetians in Asia
Our Marco Polo research is led by Dr Luca Molà, Director of the Warwick Venice Centre. Dr Molà received a BA (Laurea) from the University Ca’ Foscari of Venice and did his MA and PhD at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. From 1999 he has taught Renaissance History at the University of Warwick, with a period of secondement from 2010 to 2018 when he held a chair in Early Modern European History at the European University Institute in Florence. He is one of the founding members of the Warwick Global History and Culture Centre (2007) and is currently the Academic Director of the Warwick Venice Centre.
Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere e Arti, Venice
25-26 January 2024
Paper: Commodities and Goods in the Documents of Marco Polo
Ateneo Veneto,
Venice
1 February 2024
Lecture Series: Nel segno di Marco Polo: Venezia 1324-2024
Paper: Merci, moda e mercati nella Venezia di Marco Polo
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Museo d’Arte Orientale, Venice
28 March 2024
Lecture Series: Marco Polo e gli altri. Viaggi e viaggiatori tra Venezia e l’Asia
Paper: Sulle orme di Marco Polo: mercanti italiani in Asia al tempo della Pax Mongolica
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou
10-12 May 2024
International Symposium on Asian Art and Archaeology – First Asian Civilization Week
Paper: Marco Polo and his Followers: Italian Merchants Along the Silk Roads in the XIIIth-XIVth Centuries
Rai Radio3
18 June 2024
Interview in the programme: Marco Polo è ritornato, by Chiara Valerio.
Episode 2. I mercanti di Venezia [43 minutes]
https://www.raiplaysound.it/programmi/marcopoloeritornato
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Festival delle città del Medioevo, L’Aquila
4-7 July 2024
Keynote Speech on Marco Polo
https://www.facebook.com/festivalcittadelmedioevo/videos/1678035492944665
Venice in Peril Lecture, WVC
17 October 2024
Lecture on Marco Polo
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Accademia dei Lincei, Rome
23-25 October 2024
Conference: La via dell’Oriente e … dell’America: Marco Polo 1324-2024
Paper: Marco Polo e le merci dell’Oriente
Participating Institutions
The University of Warwick is delighted to partner with 36 institutions on the Marco Polo International Programme.
Monash University, Australia and Malaysia
University of New South Wales, Australia
Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil
University of Calgary, Canada
Concordia University, Canada
Chinese academy of social sciences, China
Fudan University, China
Hangzou Normal University, China
Lanzhou University, China
Nanjing University, China
Nankai University, China
Peking University, China
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
Shanghai University, China
Shannxi Normal University, China
Tsinghua University, China
Zhejiang University, China
Croatian academy of sciences and arts, Croatia
Martin Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, Germany
University of Oldenburg, Germany
University of Szeged, Hungary
Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Italy
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Pompeu Fabra University, Spain
University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Bursa University, Turkey
Istanbul University, Turkey
University of Leeds, UK
University of Sheffield, UK
Zayed University, United Arab Emirates
Columbia University, USA
Cornell University, USA
Middle Tennessee State University, USA
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA