1188436 Early Italian edition of Il Milione, The Travels of Marco Polo and his uncles (hand-coloured woodcut) by Bracciolini, Gian Francesco Poggio (1380-1459); Private Collection; (add.info.: Probably born in Venice around 1254 CE, Marco Polo was raised by his aunt and uncle after his mother died. His father, Niccolo, was a Venetian merchant who left before Marco was born to trade in the Middle East. Niccolo and his brother Maffeo passed through much of Asia and met with Mongol emperor Kublai Khan who reportedly invited them to be ambassadors. In 1269, Niccolo and Maffeo returned to Venice, meeting Marco for the first time.); Pictures from History; Italian, out of copyright.