Of all the cities in Europe, Venice was uniquely suited to produce a world traveler. Nicknamed “Queen of the Adriatic,” the port had strong trading ties to its eastern neighbors.
It also had a thriving class of merchants, which included Marco’s father and two uncles. Merchants from Venice traveled east regularly. They brought back silk, dyes, furs, pepper, ginger, cotton, peacock feathers, timber – as well as enslaved persons – to sell to the rest of Europe. Venetian merchants were always on the go.