THE WORLDS OF MARCO POLO. The journey of a 13th-century Venetian merchant

Curated by: Giovanni Curatola and Chiara Squarcina

Marco Polo (1254-1324) was certainly the most illustrious traveller of the Middle Ages and beyond. Before and after him others successfully made journeys to the East. But Marco Polo, by his extraordinary Travels (original entitled Il Milione), is undoubtedly the best-known and most celebrated figure to have travelled from the West to the Far East and to have left a full and richly documented account of what he saw. The Venetian Marco Polo, moreover, not only described most of Asia in a broadly reliable way, but also acted as the supreme interpreter and representative of the international mercantile character of his homeland Venice.

It is clear that the fame and glory of the Serenissima as the commercial capital of the West was largely created and spread by this extraordinary and adventurous son of the city. Significantly, he was named after its patron, St. Mark, whose remains were also brought from the East, in this case the Near East.

Celebrating Marco Polo and his travels 700 years after his death provides an important opportunity to recount his superlative and incomparable life and his knowledge of those distant lands and peoples [his books were written “so that people may know the things that exist in the world…”]. It also reveals the relations between these different worlds today and how the “Silk Roads” have not lost their importance or relevance.

The exhibition will be divided into several sections. It starts by illustrating the character of Venice and its trade in the first half of the 14th century, as well as the role of travel in Venetian commerce before and after the experience of the Polo family: cartography – Venetian and other – for example, and how far the stories and itineraries of merchants influenced this science.

On their journeys, the Polo family came across realms and political and military powers organised in various ways together with different cultural, artistic and religious practices. All this in a historical period when Asia was largely under the control of various Mongol dynasties closely related to each other. It was the unrepeatable age later known as the “Pax Mongolica”, which allowed safe travel along roads and through regions previously little known.

Marco Polo’s fascinating book gives an account of different religious faiths: Christians of various denominations (including Nestorians), Muslims, again with significant differences, the Chinese (Confucians, Buddhists, Taoists…) and Indians (Hinduism). The exhibition gives an account of these differences as well as the various sensibilities illustrated in the famous text of the Milione.

From Italian museums – primarily the very rich Venetian collections – and other important museum collections in Europe, Asia and North America, will come precious works on loan to reconstruct the life and achievement of Marco Polo, his travels and discoveries. They include maps and objects of various kinds, ranging from ceramics to porcelain (Marco Polo was the first to notice the quality of this material and use the term “porcelain”), as well as fabrics (including carpets), metals, coins, manuscripts and much else. A special section will be devoted to the extraordinary multilingual spread of the Milione and the legend of Marco Polo between the 19th and 20th centuries.

#MarcoPolo700

Exhibition organized as part of the initiatives promoted by the City of Venice and the National Committee for the Celebrations of the 700th Anniversary of the death of Marco Polo, led by Mayor Luigi Brugnaro. With the special collaboration of Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia and the Italian Cultural Institute of Shanghai

MEDAL FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC

Find out more >

MUVE Education activities for the exhibition

On the occasion of the exhibition THE WORLDS OF MARCO POLO. THE JOURNEY OF A 13TH–CENTURY VENETIAN MERCHANT, hosted in the Doge’s Apartments in the Doge’s Palace until 29 September 2024, MUVE Education has planned a series of activities aimed at adults, schools and families. As is customary, the proposals vary, with different levels of in-depth study, methods and approaches, planned to address the different audiences.

In the last room of the exhibition, a special interactive proposal has also been created for all visitors, offering a true ‘immersion’ in the extraordinary voyage undertaken by Marco Polo along the Silk Roads.

For adults

Guided itineraries: The Worlds of Marco Polo. The Journey of a 13th-century Venetian Merchant
The thematic itinerary offers the opportunity to focus on some aspects of the sections into which the exhibition is divided, which includes – in addition to works from the rich MUVE collections – loans from important museums in Italy, Europe, Asia and overseas: from the identification of Marco Polo’s house to the illustration of the Venetian city and mercantile situation in the first half of the fourteenth century, the role of travel before and after the Polo experience, cartography and objects (ceramics, porcelain, textiles, metals, coins, manuscripts); the main geographical areas mentioned in Milione – Armenia, Persia, China, India – characterised by different peoples, religions, uses and customs, up to the Polo ‘legend’ in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and a contemporary work inspired by the great traveller.
Duration: 1h30min
Languages: Italian, English, French

For families

Workshops: Decorate your Cathay Fan
A treasure hunt to discover the stories, symbols and curiosities of animals ‘hidden’ in prints, tapestries, textiles, ceramics and paintings on display. The activity continues in the workshop with the decoration of a Chinese fan using stencils, glues and lots of colours. The fan can then be taken home.
Audience: infant and kindergarten, primary (I cycle)
Duration: 1h30min
Languages: Italian, English, French

For schools

Workshops: Decorate your Cathay Fan
A treasure hunt to discover the stories, symbols and curiosities of animals ‘hidden’ in prints, tapestries, textiles, ceramics and paintings on display. The activity continues in the workshop with the decoration of a Chinese fan using stencils, glues and lots of colours. The fan can then be taken home.
Audience: Infant and kindergarten, primary (I cycle)
Duration: 2h
Languages: Italian, English, French

Guided itineraries: The Worlds of Marco Polo. The Journey of a 13th-century Venetian Merchant
The thematic itinerary offers the opportunity to focus on some aspects of the sections into which the exhibition is divided, which includes – in addition to works from the rich MUVE collections – loans from important museums in Italy, Europe, Asia and overseas: from the identification of Marco Polo’s house to the illustration of the Venetian city and mercantile situation in the first half of the fourteenth century, the role of travel before and after the Polo experience, cartography and objects (ceramics, porcelain, textiles, metals, coins, manuscripts); the main geographical areas mentioned in Milione – Armenia, Persia, China, India – characterised by different peoples, religions, uses and customs, up to the Polo ‘legend’ in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and a contemporary work inspired by the great traveller.
Audience: 1st and 2nd grade secondary schools, Higher Education System (universities etc.)
Duration: 2h
Languages: Italian, English, French

IN-DEPTH ACTIVITIES, ALWAYS AND FOR ALL

Journey as…
At the end of the exhibition itinerary, an evocative and entertaining interactive activity is proposed in the last room. Its aim is to stimulate visitors to the exhibition to discover the ‘Worlds of Marco Polo’, thanks to a real ‘immersion’ into the places and peoples of the Silk Roads. A large map presents the itineraries followed by the great Venetian traveller between Venice and China: from the Near East to the Pamir, from continental Asia to the lands of the Great Khan, and on to the seas of Indochina. It includes a selected number of curiosities – products, animals, spices – of which a brief description and quotation from the Milione is given, taken from the Ramusio edition. The result is an engaging multi-sensory journey that allows for a series of tactile, olfactory and visual explorations, some of them with truly unexpected and surprising outcomes. The room also hosts an ‘active’ space designed to welcome visitors’ considerations and thoughts on the theme of travel.
Audience: adults, schools of all levels, families
Languages: Italian, English

Choose and book

How to participate

Educational activities can be booked online

Costs

FOR ADULTS
Guided tours EUR 100 / group of up to 25 people

Requirements for admission
The group must purchase the exhibition entrance ticket at a reduced rate through the Call Centre 848082000 (open every day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.), indicating the booking code. Whisper service compulsory for groups of over 10 participants to be purchased separately, at the ticket office or through the call centre, at a cost of EUR 1 per person (the service is free of charge for any certified disabled accompanying persons).

FOR SCHOOLS
Active itineraries and workshops EUR 100 / class of up to 25 pupils + 2 teachers (plus any special needs teachers)

Requirements for admission
The cost of the activity includes admission to the exhibition for all classes of all levels, which must absolutely, however, be booked through the call centre 848082000 (open every day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.), indicating the booking code.
Free admission for accompanying teachers (max. 2) and/or accompanying persons of certified disabled persons. Accompanying teachers in excess of the 2 allowed and accompanying non-teaching staff (max. 2 per group) are entitled to the special ‘School Offer’ discount.

WHISPER SERVICE: The Whisper Service, compulsory for groups of over 10 participants, is FREE for classes booking an activity, with 2 accompanying teachers and any accompanying persons of certified disabled people.

FOR FAMILIES
EUR 100 / for families of up to 10 people (of which min 1 and max 4 adults)

Requirements for admission
The cost of the activity includes entrance to the exhibition, which should be booked through the Call Centre 848082000 (open every day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.), indicating the booking code.

Informations

EDUCATIONAL TOURS AND ACTIVITIES – MUVE EDUCATION
Tel. +39 0412700370 (Monday and Wednesday from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM)
Email: education@fmcvenezia.it (Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays)

Activities must be booked online here: BOOK >>>
Last-minute requests must be made, subject to availability, exclusively by phone or email.

Galerie

Regarder