“La ‘via della seta’ dall’antichità alla modernità: crocevia di cultura, civiltà ed equilibri strategici tra Oriente e Occidente”

The paper analyses the strategic relevance recently regained by the ancient Silk road, especially after the important archaeological findings carried out at the end of the XIX century and the beginning of the XX century, which contributed to unearth the ancient splendour, and the interested countries understood its relevance both from a cultural point of view and from a political and economical point of view. Furthermore, the implosion of the former Soviet “empire”, which determined the end of the cold war and the subsequent dissolution of the bipolar system, resulted in the emergence of a new independent geopolitical space, which strategical and economical importance is enhanced by the presence of abundant energy and natural reserves.