Other Restorations
Church of San Samuele | Church of San Lio | Monumental Arch | Cornaro Chapel | Saint Mark Healing the Cobbler Anianus | Four Wooden Poles | Façade of Scuola Dalmata | Sarcophagus of Giovanni Priuli | Marco Polo Arch | Tombstones, New Jewish Cemetery, Lido |   Bernabò Chapel and Relief of the Coronation of the Virgin | Photographs of Venetian Architecture and Sculpture  |  19th-Century Glass-Plate Negatives of Venice from the Ferdinando Ongania Collection  |  St. Martin and the Beggar  | Madonna with Child and St. Peter |  Crucifix

Marco Polo Arch

Artists:Venetian School, 11th or 12th century
Location:Corte Seconda del Milion, Cannaregio
Medium:Istrian stone
Proposed treatment:Cleaning and restoration
Sponsor:Young Friends of Save Venice

This Byzantine arch stands in a charming courtyard near the Teatro Malibran in the neighborhood where the explorer Marco Polo (1254-1324) is said to have lived. Polo was the first European to travel to the Far East and return to narrate his exploits, particularly those in the empire of Kublai Khan. Il Milione (The Million), the title of the book describing the marvels he encountered during his voyage, refers to the vast number of adventures he later retold. Eventually, it came to be associated with the courtyard where Polo's house was supposedly located.

The broad arch, which gives entry to the courtyard, features bas-reliefs in the Veneto-Byzantine style of the 11th and 12th centuries. Lined with interlocking medallions framing carved images of flora and fauna and various geometric patterns, it is one of the most interesting of the few public architectural works remaining from this period. Unfortunately, air pollution has discolored and disfigured much of its carved details. Restoration will remove the layers of detritus and stabilize further losses.

Photo: Matteo De Fina