The Marco Polo Column

From Venice, Asia & China 

In 1271, Marco Polo sailed from the Piazza San Marco in Venice to “discover” China. Motifs from the gothic and chinoise-themed Doge’s Palace decorate the column. The map shows this route through Asia; quatrefoil patterns from the palace inspired the motif on the back of the map. The shape of this column ins derived from the piazza and palaces of Piazza San Marco; the dragon motif provides a link to the East. The inspiration at the octagonal base is from Polo’s deathbed utterances. Any traveler can only tell part of what he saw but his whole life is influenced by his experiences.