Marco Polo, il Milione e la prigionia a Genova

It is often forgotten that Marco Polo’s Milione – one of the most widely read books of medieval Europe, and counted among the sources used by Christopher Columbus to organise his expedition – originated in the Genoese prisons when the Venetian traveller told his fellow prisoner Rustichello da Pisa about his marvellous journey to Asia. At every Polo’s anniversary – such as the seventh centenary of his death in 2024 – numerous events are organised in Venice, attracting new visitors to the lagoon city. By contrast, initiatives celebrating Marco Polo are rare in Genoa, which seems to want to build its image mainly on the figure of the equally great and famous Genoese explorer, Christopher Columbus. With a view to literary tourism, the proposal to create a tourist offer in the city of the «Lanterna» based on the fact that the great masterpiece of medieval travel literature was born right here, albeit in an unknown location, would seem to be worthy of support. The initiative does not risk overshadowing the Admiral’s exploits, but rather, by making a tourist-literary contribution, it may be suitable for making Genoa the tourist capital of all those interested in the history of exploration and geographical discoveries.