Marco Polo

Did you know a teenager from Venice left home at 17 and spent about 24 years exploring deserts, mountains, and huge cities to reach the Mongol emperor? That daring traveler was Marco Polo.

Marco Polo was a Venetian merchant and explorer in the 13th century (born 1254). His most important achievement was writing down his travels in a book often called The Travels of Marco Polo (Il Milione). That book gave Europeans their first detailed look at the riches, technology, and stories of Asia — places few Europeans had seen.

In 1271 Marco left with his father Niccolò and uncle Maffeo along the Silk Road. They reached Kublai Khan's court in China; Marco spent years working and traveling through the Mongol Empire before returning to Venice in 1295. After he was captured in 1298, he dictated his adventures to a writer, Rustichello da Pisa, and those tales spread across Europe. He described silk, spices, porcelain, large cities like Hangzhou, paper money, and busy sea ports. While some details are still debated by historians, his book inspired Europeans to trade, make better maps, and explore more of the world. Marco Polo helped connect East and West and showed how curiosity and travel can change history.