All the Paths Lead to Venice

“And Polo said: “Every time I describe a city I am saying something about Venice.” (p. 86) How surprising! This means that all the cities described up to now were fractions of only one city: Venice. Now that I think of it: the canals, the windows, the canoes, and transportation by land or by water, the women singing, they all portray Venice from different perspectives. It all concludes in that all the cities turn out to be the same place: Venice. Also, I found it very interesting to see how Marco Polo depicts that as he describes Venice, he fears losing it from his memory. All the cities have that in common: they are told from memory and once you have absorbed that image of the city, you are stuck with it and have no opportunity to change it. Surprisingly, Marco Polo has managed to escape this concept and has been able to describe Venice to Kubai Khan as if it were a group of totally distinct cities.

               When Polo describes Phyllis, with all its bridges and balustrades, he explains that for a visitor, it may appear as the greatest and most beautiful city of all, but once he is doomed to live there the rest of his life, he starts seeing the city from a totally different perspective. He says that “Soon the city fades before your eyes, the rose windows are expunged, the statues of the corbels, the dome.” (p. 90) This reminded me of how my parents and grandparents say that Rome and Venice are marvelous cities and that their sight, with their magnificent domes, narrow streets, imposing architecture, and amazing waterways, make these cities some of the greatest and most attractive places to visit in Europe. On the other hand, a friend who has lived 3 years in Venice, now finds none of these qualities in the city. On the contrary, he sees the city as a normal urban area where every aspect of it is the same: nothing changes. Life begins to be monotonous once you get used to it, making the individual loose the perception he came once living there. The same happens with New York: visitors find every aspect of it amusing, while locals no longer see it as they once used to see it. Just as Polo explains: “Your footsteps follow not what is outside the eyes, but what is within, buried, erased.” (p. 91) The people start viewing their city as what is stuck in their mind, not as what it truly is. This is how each person has a different view of the city, and the actual site is not seen by anyone, becoming as Calvino would say, invisible.

The Magic Five

 As I slowly looked at the numbering of the chapters in the book, I noticed there was a certain pattern in the way they are presented. First of all, it is important to highlight that the chapters within each of the sections of the book are exposed in descending order. Also, very curiously, each of the categories into which the cities are classified has a maximum of five cities throughout the whole book. This said, when a category reaches its fifth city (number 5 in the order), that is the last one from that category. This allows Calvino to bring about a new category in each of the parts, always being number one.           

               When I read about Olivia, I reflected upon developed countries all over the world, such as United States and Spain. Polo describes Olivia as a city full of prosperity and richness in products and services. But, the traveler says that “…from these words you realize at once how Olivia is shrouded in a cloud of soot and grease that sticks to the houses, that in the brawling streets, that shifting trailers crush pedestrians against the walls.” (p.  61) From the outside, a city/country can appear perfect, with almost no problems. But, as you enter it and get to know its interior, you will discover all the issues it has and how people suffer even in an apparently prosperous country. United States, with its large wealth inequality and Spain with its soaring unemployment rate are an example of this case. They seem very equitable countries, but in the inside it is no such thing.

            It is impressive to observe how Marco Polo is the one proposing the metaphors and the concepts in the story. I would have expected Kublai Khan to do this, since he is a much older and apparently knowledgeable individual than the young Venetian. For example, Marco Polo declares that “Yes, the empire is sick, and, what is worse, it is trying to become accustomed to its sores. This is the aim of my explorations: examining the traces of happiness still to be glimpsed, I gauge its short supply.” (p. 59) I compared this to the situation of many developing countries around the world, which, instead of developing leaders and trying to heal the wounds of the country’s situation, it resigns to live with its problems forever. This is definitely not the case of Colombia, which by all means is trying to progress and has and will continue to struggle to not only solve its problems, but to turn them into opportunities to continue advancing. On the other hand, countries, such as Venezuela and Ecuador, have a lot of issues which have not been solved. Many people blame the government, but it is really the people’s job to take action and demand a change for their country. It is their duty no to settle for less of what they can possibly get. The role of true leaders, hopefully all presidents, is to examine the city and look for little spots where they can improve their nation. Even if they are little, they can help the country evolve and eventually heal all its sores.