Marco Polo’s Journey to the Ends of the Earth

December 2024 – May 2025

Marco Polo’s journey to the East began in Venice, where he was born in 1254. He is one of history’s most remarkable explorers. His legacy, however, goes far beyond travel. Indeed, he became a symbol of cultural exchange, a bridge between two worlds, East and West, at a time when they barely knew each other.

At the age of 17, Marco set out on an extraordinary journey with his father, Niccolò, and his uncle, Maffeo. Together, they travelled to the distant court of the great Kublai Khan, the powerful ruler of the Mongol Empire. The journey took nearly three years, crossing Asia and braving inhospitable deserts such as the Gobi, as well as daunting mountain ranges. At last, the Polos reached the imperial capital, Dadu — present-day Beijing — where they were received with great honour.

There, Marco was not merely a witness to the empire’s splendour. He also played a crucial role in its administration. Kublai Khan was impressed by the young Venetian’s intelligence and diplomatic skill, and, as a result, appointed him an official and special envoy. For more than 17 years, Marco travelled on diplomatic missions across the vast Mongol Empire, carrying messages to regions such as present-day India, Burma and Central Asia. These experiences broadened his knowledge of the world. They also gave him a unique vantage point from which to understand — and describe — cultures that few Europeans had ever seen.

On these journeys, Marco witnessed the sophistication of Kublai Khan’s China. For example, he saw advances in technology, astronomy, medicine and agriculture, including the use of paper money and advanced irrigation systems. Likewise, he was struck by the empire’s cultural diversity, from the customs of nomadic tribes to the riches of its most prosperous cities.

Marco Polo’s Journey Home

When Marco Polo returned to Venice in 1295, the world he once knew now seemed small next to all he had experienced. Shortly afterwards, however, he was captured during a conflict between Venice and Genoa, and thrown into prison. It was there that he dictated his memoirs to Rustichello da Pisa, a writer who helped turn Marco’s experiences into The Book of the Marvels of the World.

This book described the landscapes, customs and riches of the East in astonishing detail. As a result, it had a truly revolutionary impact, at a time when knowledge of the wider world was extremely limited.

Marco Polo’s Legacy

Marco Polo’s influence went far beyond inspiring explorers such as Christopher Columbus, who carried a copy of the book on his own voyages. It also spread a powerful idea: that unknown lands and riches were waiting to be discovered. In this way, it helped drive the Age of Discovery and, subsequently, the growth of new trade routes.

The Silk Road, where Marco lived so many of his adventures, was far more than a trading corridor. In fact, it was a melting pot of cultures, where ideas, technologies and traditions intertwined. Through his book, Marco Polo showed the world the value of cultural exchange, and the need to build bridges between civilisations.

Today, Marco Polo is remembered not only as an explorer, but also as a visionary storyteller. His work remains a testament to the human spirit of curiosity and discovery. Moreover, his life stands as an example of the power of connecting cultures through understanding and respect.

The journeys and armies that connected East and West are part of our collection of toy soldiers, with more than 100,000 pieces spanning from Antiquity to the 20th century.

You can see these scenes in miniature at the Malferit Palace, in the historic centre of Valencia.

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About the Author

Alejandro Noguera Borel — Director of the Museo L’Iber and the Fundación Libertas 7. In the world of toy soldiers since the 1970s.

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