Flag of Italy. Representative image
Credit: iStock Photo
Bengaluru: The Consulate General of Italy in Bengaluru has produced a documentary titled The India They Saw, chronicling the journeys of Venetian explorers Marco Polo and Niccolò De’ Conti in India.
Directed by Ganesh Shankar Raj, it marks Consul General Alfonso Tagliaferri’s final project in India.
The idea took shape when a politician remarked that most European tourists were unaware of Hampi and India’s other historic archaeological sites.
"Hampi usually does not come to mind when we think of India. We wanted to explore a connection between India and Italy and discovered Niccolò De’ Conti’s visit to the Vijayanagar Empire,” said Tagliaferri.
Produced on a budget of Rs 30 lakh within a three-month schedule, the film draws from the journals of Marco Polo and De’ Conti. It captures Holi celebrations in Hampi, portrays India’s tradition of communal harmony, and highlights a past era where dark skin was considered beautiful, with people applying oil to fair skin to appear darker.
AI-generated recreations bring historical moments to life.
"One fascinating link we found was that both Telugu and Italian are vowel-ending languages, which is why Telugu is called the Italian of the East,” Tagliaferri noted.
The team now plans to pitch the film to airlines operating on India–Italy routes.