Marco was born in Venice, Italy around 1254 AC. He was born into a merchant family. Marco’s father and uncle were merchants as well, and left on a long trading expedition 1 year before Marco was born. At the age of 17 Marco went on a journey to China with his father and uncle. It took them 3 years to reach China, but along the way they visited sites including the holy city of Jerusalem, the mountains of Hindu Kush, Persia, and the Gobi Desert.
Marco rose to fame because of a book of his travels.