Canielle’s Reviews > Xanadu: Marco Polo and Europe's discovery of the East > Status Update

The only memory of hearing the name Marco Polo was during my childhood. Whenever there would be a pool party we would play this game called Marco Polo where one kid tries to tag the other players around when they shout Marco Polo. Though if we dig into the history of the real Marco Polo, the game has no real connection aside from names. Marco Polo(c.1245–1324) is a Venitian merchant and explorer who travelled to Asia, most known for his travel to the Silk Road in China. We hear of his travels through a romance writer named Rustichello da Pisa who had also written the Roman de Roi Artus. (Romance of King Arthur)

Childhood of Marco Polo
1254 Marco’s father Niccolò Polo and his uncle Maffeo Polo were wealthy jewel merchants. When Marco was born, His father Niccolò, along with his uncle Maffeo had set off on an expedition to Constantinople around the time of the Fourth Crusade 1204. The two brothers settled in Sudak, Urkraine afterwards. Since the death of Marco’s mother who’s name is not documented through historical records, the young marco spent time with his other relatives. His first journey was during the age of 17 when he set out on a voyage with his father and uncle to the Silk Road.