This project, part of the 2024 the 700th anniversary of the death of the great Venetian explorer, was coordinated by the founder of the "Pesce di Pace" association, Nadia De Lazzari, and involved in particular three schools in Istanbul engaged in promoting Italian culture in Istanbul, given that Marco Polo's family traded fabrics and "zoie" (jewels) and had a home and a fund (warehouse) also in Constantinople, today's Istanbul.

Given the pedagogical and educational nature of the project, which corresponds exactly to the values promoted by the Salesian Evrim school, the school leadership readily agreed to involve the students, inviting them to reflect more deeply on the irreplaceable values of dialogue, peace and sustainability.

The choice of the school for this project has prompted the entire educational community to renew its commitment to promoting intercultural and religious dialogue, enhancing attitudes and attitudes that promote respect, peace, dialogue and knowledge of their culture as gifts to be guarded.

"Our students explored this theme through art, drawings and stories written about the life of Marco Polo, ambassador of peace and great traveler" Fr Doyen, a Haitian Salesian explained. He has been stationed at Ervim's work for 15 years. The work is entrusted to the German Salesian St Boniface Province. "Dialogue with the East, peace and sustainability were addressed using imagination and creativity, so as to express their understanding and their vision of a more just, more peaceful and open world to dialogue" Fr Doyen said.

During the first stage of the exhibition, which was held at the great San Teodoro school in Venice, two professors and historians, Pieralvise Zorzi, from Venice, and İlber Ortaylı, from Istanbul, tried to interpret the artistic works produced by the students, contributing with their point of view to highlight the importance of dialogue for peace and sustainability.

In the second stage, held at Palazzo Mocenigo, several local civil and religious authorities honoured the exhibition with their presence and their message on the importance of education for dialogue, which begins at school with the acceptance of cultural, social and religious differences with respect for others, understood as bearers of values to be discovered.

"In this regard this project has echoed the values that we care about and that we try to transmit with energy to our students and staff in our educational mission", added Fr Doyen.

As Prof. Zorzi pointed out in the dialogue with his colleague Prof. Ortaylı, everyone knows the parameters that favour war between nations: the need for territorial expansion, the imposition of cultural or ideological vision, the lust for resources... But in the face of these realities it is important to educate people to promote the values of dialogue that will lead to a better understanding of humanity and its capacity to build bridges.

The works developed by the children for this project were exhibited at Palazzo Mocenigo in Venice and at the end of the month they will be exhibited at the Elgiz Museum in Istanbul. "It will be an opportunity for our city to discover the contribution of young Salesian students to education for dialogue and peace", concluded Fr Doyen.

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