Italy looks to revive economy with Chinese help

Seven hundred years after Marco Polo showed how it was done, Italy is once again knocking on China's door, looking to do business.

This time around, the quest is for capital investment and entrepreneurial inspiration rather than the silks and spices brought home by Venice's celebrated merchant explorer. But the objective and the context have much in common: mutual prosperity at a time of global economic flux.

However, rather than Italians heading to China, as in Polo's day, today's pioneers are Chinese entrepreneurs making their way to Italy looking to do deals in a country in search of a holistic remedy for its economic ailments.