I have not counted even half of what my eyes saw

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In the year 1298, in a Genoese prison, there was a middle-aged prisoner who told stories that seemed incredible.

Their stories were so extraordinary, that many people went to jail to listen to those adventures that no imagination could reach.

The prisoner was called Marco Polo and they called him "Marco Millions", because his legendary stories spoke of infinite riches and powerful kings.

Many years ago, Marco Polo, his father and uncle, had started a business trip to the east, to the land of Tartars, as they called the Mongols.

Marco Polo, being just a young man, learned languages ​​and customs, and ended up becoming the man of confidence of the most powerful ruler in the world: the Chinese Emperor Kublai Khan.

After twenty-five years, Marco Polo returned to Venice and through his word, Europe learned about the exoticism and power of the most distant oriental cultures.

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Marco Polo, however, could not read or write. And he told his stories to a professional writer, also imprisoned. His name was Rustichello and he brought to the book all the wonders of the distant lands.

The world read that work with surprise and skepticism. When they asked Marco Polo, on his deathbed, if what he had told was true, he replied:

"I have not counted even half of what my eyes saw."

That phrase was pronounced by Marco Polo on this day, January 9, 1324, when he was embarking on the longest journey, towards nothingness and mystery.

But we have their stories and the first look at a world that today, seven centuries later, remains exotic and distant.