Photo Gallery

The strength of age - In his village in Sardinia, old Azeglio does not age. In fact, there is no age limit for him. Or age simply no longer exists – unless it is hiding behind his beard. How come? In Sardinia, as in all places where wisdom is not easily acquired, the youth of the heart lasts as long as life. - 1980

Venice - Italy - View of the island and the Church of San Giorgio, seen from the Piazzetta on a high-water day.

This impressive globe is on display at the Correr Museum in Venice. It makes it easy to trace the route of the Spice Route from Asia to Europe. - 1989

Just as in the days of the Spice Route, sailing ships occasionally drop anchor in the Giudecca Canal in Venice – a sight that is, sadly, becoming increasingly rare. During the heyday of the Spice Route in the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance (from around the 13th to the end of the 15th century), Venice was the undisputed economic hub and the wealthiest city in Europe. The Republic of Venice held the European monopoly on the trade in Asian spices such as pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. Venetian merchants did not travel to India or China themselves. They purchased the luxury goods at the end points of the Asian caravan and sea routes in the Middle East – primarily in ports such as Alexandria (Egypt), Aleppo and Antioch (Syria). Through skilful diplomacy and treaties with the ruling Mamluks, they secured exclusive access rights there. – 1989

Marco Polo’s house in Venice, with its doorway showing strong Byzantine influence (in the corner in the background). In the centre of the courtyard, the Corte Seconda del Milion, stands a well. The house was built in the 11th/12th century, and Marco Polo was born in Venice in 1254. He travelled extensively throughout Asia and lived for nearly seventeen years at the court of Kublai Khan, the Great Khan of China. After returning to his hometown, he took part in a naval battle against Genoa and was taken prisoner. During his exile in Liguria, he dictated his memoirs, the ‘Book of the Marvels of the World’. This masterful travelogue remains to this day an inexhaustible source of information on the history, customs and traditions of Asia in the Middle Ages. Marco Polo died in 1324 as a highly respected man, known to his fellow citizens as ‘Messer Marco Milione’, as he was in the habit of estimating the Great Khan’s treasures in millions of gold ducats. – 1989

The Fondaco dei Tedeschi in Venice – built between 1505 and 1508 on the ruins of an older warehouse and, until 2025, set to become a luxury shopping centre and cultural hub near the Rialto Bridge – was, at the beginning of the 15th century, effectively a finance and customs ministry that played a fundamental role in the spice trade. – 1989

A 13th-century relief depicting a camel driver in Moorish attire, located on a wall of the Palazzo dei Cammello (or Palazzo dei Mastelli) in Venice. It is easy to imagine that the dromedary’s pack-sack is filled with spices. – 1989

Statue of a Levantine merchant on the corner of Campo dei Mori and Fondamenta dei Mori. The three statues at Campo dei Mori form part of the Mastelli family coat of arms; the Mastellis were renowned merchants during Venice’s heyday. Naturally, a spice shop is a must! – 1989

This statue of a Moor (Moro) or Levantine merchant is one of the three figures in the Mastelli group on the Campo dei Mori and stands next to the house of the painter Tintoretto, opposite the Rio della Sensa. This leading master of Venetian Mannerism was born in Venice in 1512 and died there in 1594. – 1989

In Venice, the hub of the medieval spice trade, food shops still sell bunches of fiery hot peperoncini on the high street, in keeping with a centuries-old tradition. – 1989