At the age of 72, he will follow the path of Marco Polo: he will accompany Venice to Beijing on foot

the italian guide Wien Cammarota left this Tuesday the 26th from Venice to begin, at the age of 72, a three-year walking journey in which he would follow in the footsteps of Marco Polo until arriving in Beijing, with the aim of introducing and bringing the Italian heritage “a message of peace“.

“This journey serves to bring the discourse of culture and archeology to all places, because only through culture can we bring peace to the people,” Cammarota told Efe before leaving, a message that, as we recall he said, “is more important than ever” because the Ukrainian war.

This veteran guide, who has been preparing for months for a trip to cross countries like Serbia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Mongoliauntil arriving in the Chinese capital, left this Tuesday from the Lazzaretti Islands, in Venice (northern Italy), the hometown of Marco Polo.

an eternal adventurer

“I’m tired of preparation. It’s the most stressful,” said the Italian, eager to start the challenge, shortly before his journey begins, where he will travel alone, thoughand a medical team will remotely monitor your physical condition.

In recent days, Cammarota, which has been crossing regions such as Patagonia or Tibet on foot for more than 30 years, has traveled on the Camino Real in the Italian region of Calabria (south), an ancient route inaugurated by King Ferdinand I. of Bourbon in 1779 which connected Naples to the south of the peninsula.

“I wanted to see what was on these ancient streets that were once the main streets of the kingdom, where there were many taverns and hostels for the king’s staff to rest,” the hiker said.

Cammarota relates what he saw in southern Italy to what he saw as he passed by Daang Silk“a certain resemblance” describing the conditions in which the messengers of the same continent traveled.

Although he didn’t stop walking, the 72-year-old Italian with a strong physique assured that “he’s not tired” and he just wants to start one of the best adventures of his life at last.

Despite the fact that he will travel thousands of kilometers alone, the veteran hiker insists that he will not feel lonely, because on the journey he will meet people where, despite the diversity of language and culture , he will learn, as he will let go. his country, Italy.

“In his will he transmits the heritage of our country, and he does so by living the reality of its small towns and talking about its historical richness to the people he meets,” said Rosario Santanastasio, the president of the Archeoclub d’Italia, Efe. , who will support him throughout his journey.

But beyond the work of cultural advancement of Italian heritage, Cammarota has its own personal goal: “Explain to women that it is not true that we cannot do what we set out to do, but we can achieve everything,” she proudly declared. .

Now he has finally begun the journey from Lazzaretti, where the first quarantine recorded was ordered to isolate those infected with the plague in the fifteenth century, even before this concept passed the rest of the world. due to coronavirus pandemic.

With information from EFE