It is one of the Renaissance's more eclectic works, covering not only the instrumental istanpittas of the Italian Trecento and earlier Franciscan laudas, but also Byzantine chant, girl songs from Cyprus preserved in the Manuscript 1203 kept in Iviron monastery, Persian and Arabic dances, traditional Music of Mongolia and Ancient Chinese ceremonial music.

Marco Polo is one of the Ensemble's biggest successes, having spent a few weeks at the top of the classical music charts in Germany, in the 1993.

He learned about trading whilst his father and uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, travelled through Asia and apparently met Kublai Khan.

The three of them embarked on an epic journey to Asia, via Mesopotamia, Kurdistan, Persia, Turan, the Pamir Mountains and Mongolia returning after 24 years (on his return he visited Indonesia, Singapore, India, Empire of Trebizond and Constantinople to find Venice at war with Genoa; Marco was imprisoned, and dictated his stories to a cellmate.

In the region of the Middle East he must have encountered the Persian and Arabic musical traditions, retained over centuries thanks to the constant care of the good musicians.