Corte Seconda del Milion

Venedig · Italy · Urban site

Marco Polo's Chinese wife Hao Dong was told he was dead. Her singing is still said to drift out of the courtyard beside his old house.

Behind the Teatro Malibran lies the narrow courtyard Venetians call Corte Seconda del Milion, named after Marco Polo's nickname. The Polo family houses stood here. Legend tells of Hao Dong, an emperor's daughter said to have followed Marco back from the East. In Venice she lived almost shut away — her looks and the non-Christian marriage made her a stranger — and her only comfort was singing. When Marco was captured by the Genoese in 1298, his sister sent word that her husband was dead. According to the legend Hao Dong set fire to her clothes and threw herself from a window into the canal. Those who cross the bridge by the courtyard are said to catch a faint, mournful song that nobody can trace.

FAQ

Where is Corte Seconda del Milion located?

Corte Seconda del Milion is in Venedig, Italy.

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