MARCO POLO’S VENICE
In 2024 Venice commemorates Marco Polo’s death (1324, aged 70) with a major exhibit inside the Doge’s Palace (April 6th- September 29th) and some important side events, see the two exhibits at Ca’ Mocenigo, Museum of Costume.
In 1254, when Marco Polo was born, in the district of Castello, Venice was one of the wealthiest trading harbors in Europe, playing a pivotal role importing deluxe oriental goods, mostly through Constantinople (today’s Istanbul), where many Venetian merchants spent good part of their active life. By the middle of the 13th century Venice was a thriving cosmopolitan metropolis, with a population of some 90, 000 people.
Our history walk through Marco Polo’s Venice begins in front of the Church of San Lorenzo, as we know from Polo’s testament that this is where he wanted to be buried. The itinerary continues with some hidden courtyards in the neighborhoods of Castello and Cannaregio – on the way to the Rialto Bridge and market.
Corte Muazzo, Corte Botera, Corte del Milion, Corte Morosina, Corte del Remer, are secluded private spaces, tucked away behind the main alleyways leading to Venice’s commercial hub, and still preserving many of the old Venetian-Byzantine homes built by the merchants who lived in Marco Polo’s times.
Corte del Million still holds part of the group of houses that Marco, Niccolò, and Maffeo Polo bought after their return to Venice from a 24-year-long journey in Asia, and where Marco passed away exactly 700 years ago. Historical documents allow a partial reconstruction of Marco’s life but also leave room to legends.
Across the ‘modern’ Rialto Bridge (rebuilt in the 1590s) we enter Rialto Market Island, business heart of Venice for the last 900 years. Trying to stay away from the most touristy streets, we’ll meander into the back alleys to find out how much of Marco Polo’s Venice has survived: some glorious medieval palaces on the Grand Canal, rich in elaborate Venetian Byzantine stone decorations, master jewelers still working on precious gems like in the old days, Oriental spices sellers, their shop full of pepper, cinnamon, nutmegs…
We cross back to St Mark’s Square for a guided visit to THE WORLDS OF MARCO POLO, an important exhibit to commemorate the 700 years from the great traveler’s death. Some 300 items, including maps, portraits, objects, paintings, prints, books, to reconstruct the Polos’ adventures in distant lands, their long stay at the court of Kublai Khan in China, and the history of the enormous influence that Marco Polo’s book, ‘Il Milione’, a manuscript that became the first bestselling book of the Middle Ages, had on generations of explorers. The exhibition also gives more insight on what we know about Marco Polo’ s Venice today.
If you’ve booked our MARCO POLO’S VENICE tour you might also like THE INSIDERS’ HEART OF VENICE.
HIGHLIGHTS
- A history walk into 13th and 14th century Venice
- Learn about the adventurous journeys of Marco, Niccolo’, and Maffeo Polo
- Guided visit of the exhibition THE WORLDS OF MARCO POLO at the Doge’s Palace
MORE ABOUT
THIS TOUR
MARCO POLO’S VENICE – Marco Polo’s father and uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, traveled extensively through Asia and had already been honored guests at the court of the Grand Khan when Marco was still a little boy, living in Venice, between 1261 and 1269. They came back to Christian Lands with the mission of bringing to Kublai, that was the grandson of Gengis Khan, 100 ‘wise men’, well acquainted with religion and “with the seven arts” to convert the Chinese, plus some oil from the Lamp of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem. As the Pope had died, they had to wait for three years the election of a new Pope. They traveled back to Venice in the meantime, to find out that Marco’s mother had died.
Marco Polo was then 16. Niccolò and Maffeo decided to take him with them on the next voyage. The new Pope, Gregory X, elected in 1271, granted them all credentials and gifts for Kublai Khan, plus two friars, who soon ran away terrified by the dangers of the trip through Asia. The Polos, after a long journey via land, finally arrived to Kathay (China). Kublay Khan, who often employed foreigners to administer his enormous empire, warmly welcomed the Venetian merchants back, and grew very affectionate to young Marco, intelligent and humble, that was sent in mission, traveling in distant regions as an informer and tax-collector for 17 years.
Although Kublai didn’t really want to let them go, the three Venetians were at last encharged to escort Kokachin, a Mongol Princess, who was to marry Khan Arghun in Persia. They traveled, mostly via sea, circumnavigating Malaysia and Ceylon. The whole trip took about four years. From Persia then they traveled to Constantinople, and finally, in 1295, headed to Venice.
Marco, who had left Venice at 16, was now 40. As you can imagine, nobody recognized them at first. Although they had been robbed during the final part of their journey, the Polos were able to settle down and bought a group of houses near the Rialto Bridge, still partly in existence today. Some time later, Marco Polo was for a while a war prisoner in Genoa, Venice’s archrival. Here he met Rustichello da Pisa, a quite well-known writer, who helped him to fix on paper the facts and vicissitudes of his long journey.
A best seller was born, long before the invention of printing! The book is known as ‘Il Milione’ or also as ‘The Book of Marvels‘. Marco was released and settled in Venice. He got married and had three duaghters, who all married with Venetian noblemen. Died at 70 in 1324, leaving a very interesting testament.
Marco Polo’s book was first written in French-Italian, and was them immediately translated into 12 different languages. For a couple of centuries every copy was, of course, handwritten, with the imaginable changes and wrong translations, giving life to some 140 different versions, that still run philologists mad.
Scholars have been debating about which places Marco really visited, how much he reported from other narrations, how much he invented. Some detractors also suspect that he never really traveled to Kathay…but simply stayed in Constantinople. What is positive, anyway, is that he inspired many other Western travelers: just to mention one, Christopher Columbus left for the ‘New Indies’ holding a copy of his book.
DRESS CODE AND ADVICE
- no dress code
- comfortable shoes or sandals, and a hat in the summer!
COST
- This tour lasts three hours and costs 330 euros up to six people (not per person), private parties. For larger parties send us an email!Entrance fee to Marco Polo exhibit at the Doge’s Palace: the price has not been published yet!