The February issue of Arbiter pays tribute to Marco Polo and Venetian excellence
On the occasion of the celebrations dedicated to the great Venetian explorer Marco Polo, Franz Botré, editor of the magazine Arbiter, has curated a special edition dedicated to Venice:
“A city I have loved, suffered, and lived in. And I have definitively fallen in love with it. A museum without walls and without ceilings created by an extraordinary history. A city made by women and men who have had the ability to read and interpret events beyond the Lagoon throughout the centuries.
For these reasons, with Arbiter, I closely follow what happens in Venice, and on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo’s death, I have dedicated the cover and important articles to the city, involving Luigi Ballarin, a Venetian artist who lives in Istanbul, thus between East and West, just like Marco Polo, and also with a touch of originality, publishing the interview with Jacopo Nani Mocenigo in the Venetian language.”
Always a faithful narrative of “masculine pleasures and virtues,” Arbiter also dedicates ample space to the artisan and fashion excellence of Venice, with an in-depth feature on the maison Rubelli, the historic textile company founded in 1889, and an interview with Franco Puppato, the tailor celebrated in 2020 by the same journal with the Arbiter Trophy, the Oscar of Italian tailoring.
The Master tailor, whom Botré defines as “artisan artist, symbol and heir of the Serenissima’s tailoring culture,” was awarded in 2023 by Venice Fashion Week as Blue Artisan for his mastery in the tradition of men’s tailoring and for his constant commitment to passing on his art to young tailors (two of whom were finalists of the prestigious Le Forbici d’Oro award of the National Academy of Tailors).
Focus also on Sandro Zara, founder 50 years ago of Tabarrificio Veneto and absolute devotee of the tabarro, the iconic Venetian cloak. Guest at the 10th anniversary edition of Venice Fashion Week in October 2023 at Palazzo Sagredo, Sandro Zara attended the live cutting performance on a 5-meter-long black wool fabric.
On the cover of the February issue of Arbiter is the work of Venetian artist Luigi Ballarin, entitled Marco Polo Straddling East and West.
An interview in Venetian with Count Jacopo Nani Mocenigo, descendant of one of the most important and noble Venetian families, offers an unprecedented perspective on Marco Polo’s legacy and its relevance today, as well as a multifaceted portrait as explorer, man, and symbol of Venetian culture.
Article by Lucia Pecoraro.
Cover photo: a detail of the Arbiter cover (February 2024). The other photos are by Settimo Cannatella and Marta Formentello.
