Marco Polo lived in a very intriguing mosaic of historical events. He grew up listening to the stories told by his parents and Kin who traveled east and on the seas. At a very early age he was told of the wonders and riches of China. Venice, being one of the mercantile capitals of Europe was a buzzing city engrossed in trade and voyages. Parallelly, religious awakening and new findings regarding distant lands made him dream about reaching those places. Amidst the speedy turn of events, little Marco matured quickly and was clear about his goals in life.

The Polo family was busy travelling from one place to the other because of constant political and religious upheavals. Trade was another reason for the travels. It was in Venice in 1254 that Marco Polo took birth in a family of nobles. His father, Niccolo and Uncle Maffeo had established a trading outpost on the island of Curzola off the coast of Dalmatia. It is still not clear as to the exact place of birth of Marco Polo (Dalmatia or Venice ?) Macro got the normal kind of education of that time. He studied theology and this was very much attached with the Church. He was conversant in French and Italian. He was especially good in the observation of people, animals, plants and strange places.