Marco Polo

In 1300, he wedded Donata Badoer, who was the daughter of Vitale Badoer, a prosperous merchant. The couple had three daughters together, Fantina, Bellela and Moreta.

By 1323, he became very sick and bedridden and the following year he died at the age of 70 in Venice. He was laid to rest at the San Lorenzo di Venezia church.

Published in 1972, the book ‘Invisible cities’, written by Italo Calvino was based on the cities Marco Polo claimed to have visited and also his experiences in China.

Marco Polo was born to Nicole Anna Defuseh and Niccol� Polo, a merchant who was on a trading expedition at the time of his birth. It is generally believed by the historians that he was born in Venice, Italy

In 1260, while his father and Uncle Maffeo Polo were trading in Constantinople, his mother passed way and he lived with his aunt and uncle. He soon became well versed with merchant trading.

In 1271, he along with his father, Niccol� Polo and uncle, Maffeo Polo commenced expedition to Asia. They travelled through Persia and Tartary.

In 1274, after travelling for three years, they reached Cathay, Northern China. His father and uncle met Kublai Khan there and greeted him with papal letters, and they were appointed in the king’s court.

In 1275, he was chosen to be the official representative of Emperor Kublai Khan and joined the king on various missions, for which he travelled extensively all over China.

In the 1280s, he travelled to many parts of the Asian continent and he was subsequently appointed as the governor of one of the Kublai Khan’s cities.

In 1292, Kublai Khan got his daughter, Princess Cocachin married. Polo travelled along with the wedding party to Persia in a ship and they stopped in Borneo, Sumatra and Ceylon, among other places.

In 1295, after the death of Kublai Khan the previous year, 24 years after he had set on a voyage to China, he returned to Venice with a vast collection of fine jewels, riches and treasures.

This famous explorer and merchant did not meet his father until he was about fifteen or sixteen. In 1269, he met his father, Niccol� Polo for the first time, after Niccol� returned from his trading voyage.

This famous 13th century explorer, traveller and merchant travelled across the Gobi desert in order to reach China, this took several months and the desert was also said to be haunted by evil spirits.

Many historians speculate that this famous 13th century explorer and traveller did not actually travel to China because in his book he does not mention the Great Wall of China, chopsticks or any Chinese characters.