Early Life

• -Marco's first trip to Asia was in 1271 when he was 17 years old. He traveled with   his father and his uncle to the Mongol Empire in China.
  
• -It took four years for Marco, his father and his uncle to reach China.They stayed  for 17 years in China and worked as an adviser and aide to Kublai Khan.
• -Marco is famous for his journeys through Asia where he documented what he saw for Kublai Khan.
• -When he returned to Venice he was captured at the age of 44 by the people living in Genoa and put in jail due to a conflict between Genoa and Venice.
  
• -Polo's descriptions eventually wound up influencing Christopher Columbus. 
  
• -Columbus took a copy of Marco Polo's book with him when he set off to find a new   route to the Orient.
  
• -Marco was released from prison in 1299.
• -In 1300 he married Donata Badoer.
• -Donata and Marco Polo had three daughters - Bellela, Fantina and Moretta.
• -Marco Polo was a Christian.
• -He lived until the age of 69, although he was just a few months short of 70 at his  death on January 8, 1324.