Restored in 2004 with funding from Young Friends of Save Venice.

Behind the church of San Giovanni Crisostomo, near the Malibran Theater, a Veneto-Byzantine arch marks the site where the explorer Marco Polo (1254–1324) lived with his family after returning from his travels in the Far East. The two courtyards near his home take their name from Polo’s book recounting his travels, Il Milione.

The beautifully carved Greek marble arch, as well as its restored companion piece in Corte Seconda del Milion, are thought to be all that remains of the Polo family home, which burned down in 1597. Although some evidence suggests that the arch may have been carved as early as the eleventh century, this has not been confirmed.

The work was restored by conservators from the Altech restoration firm, with the guidance of project director Amalia Donatella Basso of the Superintendency of Monuments of Venice.

For select projects, conservation dossiers in Italian containing limited textual and photographic documentation may be available for consultation by appointment at the Venice office of Save Venice and the Rosand Library & Study Center. For inquiries, please contact us at venice@savevenice.org.

Unidentified Byzantine sculptor
“Marco Polo” Arch
Twelfth Century (?), Greek marble