Nella Terra di Sandokan is the independent website of the Italian community in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. The purpose of the website is to offer a community space online where Italian people can learn more of these countries and places, share information, find opportunities in work, study, open new businesses, find work partners, make friends, etc.

Sandokan is a fictional character in Italian literature, invented by Emilio Salgari (1862-1911). Apart from a failed attempt to become a naval officer he never left Italy and turned his passion for travel and distant things by coming a writer of adventure stories and novels, setting his tales in exotic locations, with heroes from a wide variety of cultures, inspired by other writers, information he gathered in books, public libraries and contemporary travelers. His most famous work was a series novels based on the character of Sandokan, a Bornean-Malaysian pirate who fought the British and the Dutch,  even declaring war on James Brooke the dreaded White Rajah of Sarawak, in an attempt to force him from his throne. Salgari’s novels were popular among generations of youth eager for exotic adventures. In Italy, his extensive body of work was more widely read than Dante – and even today, he remains one of the most translated Italian authors in foreign countries. Many of his most popular novels, including his tales of Sandokan, have been adapted as comics, animated series and feature films. He is considered the father of Italian adventure fiction and perhaps pop culture, the grandfather of the Spaghetti Western. He’s also recognised internationally as one of the founders of science fiction, along with his contemporary Jules Verne, in France.

Salgari’s books about Sandokan have been translated also to Malay and Chinese and brought to Malaysia and Singapore in the local languages, although he is still not widely known in Asia. But for many Italians the hero Sandokan definively represents a positive “bridge” figure for Italians interested to know more of what once were depicted as exotic and distant Countries. Many Italians they now live in these countries, come to visit for tourism or leisure, they do business with the locals, from trading to manufacture, engineering to catering and much more. This website aims to be a useful source of information for all of them. The English version of the website is slightly different than the Italian one and focuses on a database of Italian companies, restaurants and cafes found in Malaysia and Singapore, thus offering a useful service for both locals and foreigners, who wish to enjoy Italian cuisine and Italian food or are looking for business opportunities with Italian companies. The related forum can be used to interact with Italians living in Malaysia or Singapore, organize events, look for Italian language lessons and much more.