The Travels of Marco Polo Through Photography

The Travels of Marco Polo Through PhotographyUntil July 1: THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO. Palazzo BLU (Lungarno Gambacorti 9, Pisa) in collaboration with National Geographic.  Open daily, from Monday to Friday from 10 am – 7 pm, weekend and holidays 10 am – 8 pm.  Admission is €6, with reduced ticket prices for groups, families, and schools.

View a collection of historical documents and objects presented side-by-side with modern photographs of destinations that Marco Polo visited throughout the Middle Ages.

Seventy-seven photographs retrace the 13th century travels of Marco Polo through the lens of modern times, documented on the journey of National Geographic photojournalist Michael Yamashita. From Venice, along the Silk Road, between Iran and Afghanistan, to Central Asia and the Gobi Desert, then to China and Mongolia, until reaching the coasts of Indonesia and India, Yamashita captures a unique insight to Polo’s tour of the ancient Eastern world.

To accompany the shots, a selection of objects of art and customs characteristic of the countries crossed, as well as a series of documents about Rustichello, an Italian author from Pisa who helped Marco Polo write his autobiography, granted by institutions such as the National Museum of Oriental Art, Florence’s Stibbert Museum, and from the State Archives of Pisa. The exhibition will offer moving images, explanatory texts, maps, and audio stories are included as well to give the viewer an immersive and engaging experience.

For more information visit www.palazzoblu.it.

To see a photo gallery, visit Florence’s La Repubblica news site.