ich country can claim Marko Polo as their own. Of course, it is quite an honour to lay claim to one of the world's most famous explorers. To Italians he is Italian, according to National Geographic (world's leading scientific magazine) he is Venetian# and in history books throughout the world he is either Italian or Venetian. The name Italy denotes the unity of all small city-states in that region and first appeared in 1861 as a Kingdom of Italy#. Therefore, Marko Polo, who was born in 1254, couldn't possibly be Italian since it did not even exist when he lived or when he died, over 700 years ago. His second citizenship of Venetia can't be right either since he wasn't born there. According to few Italian historians Marko was indeed born on Korcula. Their opinion was based on the fact that Marko's father Nikola wasn't returning to Venice between 1250-1269. Since we all agree on the year 1254 that Marko was born he couldn't possibly been conceived or born in Venice#. He later became Venetian citizen, but he was actually born in a small costal village named Markovo near the city of Korcula (where he later moved), on the island of Korcula in Dalmatia#. Dalmatia is a province of Croatia. So why all this confusion for such important figure? And why can't Marko be what he actually was? Is it that typical European greediness where smaller nations have to give up all they are proud of to their bigger and stronger "friendly" neighbour? The city of Korcula is today known as one of the most attractive and best preserved towns from the middle Ages in the Mediterranean region#. The island of the same name is one in the long string of pearls forming great archipelago that runs along the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. Throughout my schooling in Split, Croatia, I knew only of Marko Polo as the greatest Dalmatian traveller of all times. It was when I left Split, in 1991, and spent...