Marco Polo

Hello! My name is Marco Polo. I grew up in a beautiful city on the water called Venice. My family loved to travel to faraway places to meet new people and see new things. When I was a boy, I couldn't wait to have my own adventure!

When I was old enough, in the year 1271, I went on a super long trip with my daddy, Niccolò, and my uncle, Maffeo. We traveled on a famous path called the Silk Road. We rode on camels, saw giant mountains, and crossed big, sandy deserts. Everything was so new and exciting!

After a very, very long time, we reached a land called China. It was amazing! I met the great king, Kublai Khan. He was very kind. I saw things I’d never seen before, like black rocks that could burn to keep us warm and special paper that people used for money. I stayed there for many years and helped the king.

When I finally came home to Venice in 1295, I had so many stories to tell! I told everyone about the wonderful places I'd seen. A friend helped me write all my adventures down in a book. People loved reading about the world outside their own homes.

I lived to be almost 70 years old. People still read my book today to learn about the world and all the different people in it. My adventures helped show everyone how big and wonderful our world is.