Hiking to China in the footsteps of the renowned Italian merchant

"I took a walk from Venice to Beijing," wrote Vienna Cammarota, an Italian hiker, in a rather casual tone in her blog page. However, everyone with bit of geography common sense would get the idea that she is walking across continents.

On August 29, Cammarota arrived in China, starting her first leg of her trip in the country in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

On September 27, Cammarota reached Beijing. The 75-year-old hiker has traveled through 14 countries, covering a total journey of about 22,000 kilometers. Her trekking goes on. Accompanied by the Italian community in Beijing, Cammarota, a modern explorer, explores historical places related to Italian history, paying tribute to Marco Polo's extraordinary adventure. Italian explorer Polo traveled to China along the ancient Silk Road more than 700 years ago.

From Venice to Beijing

Cammarota visited a private collection of ceramic pieces from the Dingzhou kilns in Fuping county, Weinan city of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province on September 22. She was captivated by the precious porcelain artwork and exquisite ceramics which date back to a historical period ranging from 8,000 years ago to 3,000 years ago.

After her visit to the collection, Cammarota sat down for a video interview with the Global Times.

"This is impressive," she said, with a satisfied expression.
Among the exhibits, Cammarota noticed a piece of porcelain dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-917). The artifact is so unique in shape and color that Cammarota found it to resemble almost exactly one described by Marco Polo in his work "The Travels of Marco Polo."

"Ancient porcelain is not just a testament of history but also a vivid example of cultural exchanges between China and Italy," she noted.

Through Zhu Yuhua, president of the Associazione Cina-Italia di Shanghai, her interpreter, Cammarota said that she could appreciate the beauty of porcelain from the Tang Dynasty. While through the porcelain collections of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), she could observe both typical Italian aesthetics and the wisdom of the ancient Chinese.

"Our cultures are interconnected," she explained.

Giuseppe Castiglione, also known as Lang Shining, an Italian missionary who served as an artist at the imperial court of three Qing emperors, introduced color and design to the Qing Dynasty, elements that are still clearly visible in the artwork of that era, said Cammarota.

Following the footprints of Marco Polo on the ancient Silk Road, Cammarota started her hiking adventure across Eurasia on April 26, 2022 and has been on the road for more than two years. Traversing different landscapes such as mountains, plains and urban areas, the 75-year-old hiker has been dealing with challenges. For instance, Cammarota said that she had trekked across many frontiers but one border was closed and she could not go through. Another time, she could not exchange her own currency into the local one to buy life necessities and to solve the problem, she had to find a middle man to convert the money.

Verifying 'millions'

In "The Travels of Marco Polo," the typical style of describing the number of things that Polo saw in Ancient China, often included phrases such as: "there were millions of sheep, millions of treasures, millions of silk products…" as a result, Polo's book is known in Venice as "The Million" from the colloquial nickname of its author. However, a lingering question for readers has been whether these claims were genuine or merely exaggerations.

Cammarota decided to verify Polo's words through her journey.

Following in Polo's footsteps, Cammarota, travelled along the ancient Silk Road passing through Xinjiang, Gansu, and Shaanxi.

Talking about her motivation, Cammarota said that she has been stepping up efforts to achieve three goals: to hike through the entire ancient Silk Road in China, to trace Polo's footsteps, and revisit the places mentioned in the book, like Suzhou, Hangzhou, Yangzhou, Fuzhou and Quanzhou, and to explore the origins of major commodities that were widely traded on the ancient Silk Road, including ceramics, silk and tea.

By doing so, she believes that she will gain a deeper understanding of the cultural significance as well as the historical value behind these commodities.
Polo's descriptions of Xinjiang, particularly its beautiful gardens, have captivated many readers. Cammarota has experienced the region's vast wealth firsthand, enjoying its delicious fruits and vegetables.

Courage and strength

Elaborating more of her motivation, Cammarota said that many of her female peers, as they age, often lack the confidence and vigor they once had.

Cammarota however believes that despite aging, there is so much yet to do and women can achieve a lot. Through her own journey, she aims to inspire more others her age to maintain their morale and continue pursuing their dreams with courage and strength.

Where there is communication, there is friendship. "Based on communication, people understand each other better and trade is where communication starts," she said. Cammarota's trekking to Beijing is also her own way to foster communication.

Born nearby a national park in South Italy, Cammarota's first job has been an employee in a town hall, then as a natural environment guide. Students and scholars turned to her when they needed a guide in mountain areas.

Trekking has been a lifestyle for Cammarota. After her retirement, she transitioned from being a trekker to a researcher.

A cultural experience

In Xinjiang, Cammarota put on the local ethnic group people's attires and tried their food, dancing to their music.

Later she said that she enjoyed experiencing their culture and was deeply impressed by the Chinese people's friendliness.

"Once I was thirsty and asked a resident for some water," she recalled. "And not only did they give me something to drink, but they treated me with newly harvested grapes as well."

"700 years ago, Marco Polo set out from Venice and it took him more than three years to reach Xi'an along the ancient Silk Road," Cammarota said. Following suit, Cammarota will also spend three years along the route of the ancient Silk Road.

"I believe my adventure will be even enriched by wonderful experiences," she said.