Coordinates	38°37′38″N90°11′52″N
{{infobox greek dimos |name	Parga |name_local Πάργα |image_map 2011 Dimos Pargas.png |periph Epirus |periphunit Preveza
Pop municipality	12944
Area municipality	276.5
Pop municunit	4033
Pop community	2432 |population_as_of 2001 |elevation 32 |lat_deg 39 |lat_min 17 |lon_deg 20 |lon_min 24 |postal_code 480 60 |area_code 26840 |licence ΡΖ |mayor |website parga.gr |image_skyline Parga with Island.jpg |caption_skyline Overview of Parga. |city_flag |city_seal |districts |party |since |elevation_min |elevation_max }}

Parga () is a town and municipality located in the northwestern part of the peripheral unit of Preveza in Epirus, northwestern Greece. The seat of the municipality is the village Kanallaki. Parga lies on the Ionian coast between the cities of Preveza and Igoumenitsa. It is a resort town known for its scenic beauty.

Municipality

The present municipality Parga was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 2 former municipalities, that became municipal units:

Fanari

Parga

History

In antiquity the area was inhabited the Greek tribe of the Thesprotians. The settlement of Parga itself dates back to ancient times and used to be called Ypargos. In 1570, a Venetian fortress was established on the rocky headland to the north of the town. Parga, like the rest of the Periphery of Epirus joined Greece following the Balkan Wars.

Geography

Parga is located on a hillside with a road linking Aghia and GR-55. A promontory and a rocky hill with various types of pine trees is situated in the west and a small promontory with trees to the east. In Parga's bay, between the town beach and the harbour, there is an islet on which is a chapel and jetty. The island can be easily visited by swimming the short distance from the town beach. Lake Kalodiki is situated to the east.

Parga is surrounded by mountainous countryside, which is rocky and bushy in the east while it is forested and grassy to the northwest. The islands of Paxoi and parts of southern Corfu can be seen and sometimes Lefkada as well. The Venetian castle separates Parga's bay and harbour from the long sandy crescent shaped Valtos beach. There are excellent views of both bays from the now ruined fortress.

Parga has a school, a lyceum, a gymnasium, a church, a post office, banks, a port situated in the central part with ferries to the beaches in the central and the eastern part of Parga, taverns and a square (''plateia'').

Transportation

The town of Parga is linked with direct suburban buses (KTEL) to other Greek cities and towns such Igoumenitsa, Preveza and Athens. There are also non-direct connections to Thessaloniki and Ioannina, although during July and August there is a daily direct bus connection to Ioannina. The closest airports to Parga are located at Aktio (75 km) with seasonal direct flights to/from Athens and Thessaloniki and other domestic destinations and is also served by charter flights from abroad, at Ioannina (91 km) with regular flights to and from Athens, and at Corfu (49 km + car-ferry from Igoumenitsa) with direct flights to and from Athens, Thessaloniki, European destinations and the Ioanian Islands.

Municipal districts

Agia (Agia, Sarakiniko)

Anthousa (Anthousa, Trikorfo)

Livadari (Livadari, Vryses)

Parga (Parga, Agia Kyriaki, Agios Georgios, Maras, Chrysogiali)

Historical population

{| class=wikitable ! Year !! Town population !! Municipality population |- | 1981 || 1,892 || - |- | 1991 || 1,699 || 3,569 |- | 2001 || 2,022 || 3,846 |}

See also

List of communities of Preveza

People from Parga

Panagiotis Aravantinos (1811–1870), historian and scholar

Dimoulitsas family, fighters of Greek War of Independence

Pargali Ibrahim Pasha, one of the most notable grand viziers of the Ottoman Empire.

Andreas Idromenos (1764–1843), scholar

References

External links

municipality of parga

	North: Margariti
West: Ionian Sea	Parga	East: Fanari?
	South: Ionian Sea

Category:Populated places in Preveza (peripheral unit) Category:Mediterranean port cities and towns in Greece Category:Exclaves Category:Municipalities of Epirus

am:ፓርጋ ar:بارغا cy:Parga de:Parga el:Πάργα eo:Parga fr:Parga it:Parga ka:პარგა nl:Parga pl:Parga ro:Parga (Grecia) sq:Parga sr:Парга sh:Parga fi:Parga sv:Parga tr:Parga

Coordinates	38°37′38″N90°11′52″N
Name	Marco Polo
Birth place	''c''. 1254, presumably in Venice, Italy
Death date	January 08, 1324
Death place	Venice, Venetian Republic
Resting place	Church of San Lorenzo
Resting place coordinates
Known for	''The Travels of Marco Polo''
Occupation	Merchant, Explorer
Spouse	Donata Badoer
Children	Fantina, Bellela, and Moretta
Parents	Mother: UnknownFather: Niccolò Polo }}

Marco Polo (; ; ''c''. 1254 – January 8, 1324) was a Venetian merchant traveler from the Venetian Republic whose travels are recorded in ''Il Milione'', a book which did much to introduce Europeans to Central Asia and China. He learned about trading whilst his father and uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, travelled through Asia and apparently met Kublai Khan. In 1269, they returned to Venice to meet Marco for the first time. The three of them embarked on an epic journey to Asia, returning after 24 years to find Venice at war with Genoa; Marco was imprisoned, and dictated his stories to a cellmate. He was released in 1299, became a wealthy merchant, married and had 3 children. He died in 1324, and was buried in San Lorenzo.

''Il Milione'' was dictated by Marco Polo to Rustichello da Pisa while both were prisoners of the Genova Republic. Rustichello translated it from Venetian Language to Tuscan dialect, subsequently embellished, copied by hand and adapted by many others; there is no authoritative version. It documents his father's journey to meet the Kublai Khan, who asked them to become ambassadors, and communicate with the pope. This led to Marco's quest, through Acre, and to the Mongol court in China. Marco apparently wrote of his extensive travels throughout Asia on behalf of the Khan, and their eventual return after 15000 miles (24000 km) and 24 years of adventures.

Their pioneering journey inspired Christopher Columbus and others. Marco Polo's other legacies include Venice Marco Polo Airport, the Marco Polo sheep, and several books and films. He also had an influence on European cartography, leading to the introduction of the Fra Mauro map.

Life

Early life and Asian travel

The exact time and place of Marco Polo's birth are unknown, and current theories are mostly conjectural. One possible place of birth is Venice's former contrada of San Giovanni Crisostomo, which is sometimes presented by historians as the birthplace, and it is generally accepted that Marco Polo was born in the Venetian Republic with most biographers pointing towards Venice itself as Marco Polo's home town. Some biographers suggest that Polo was born in the town of Korčula (Curzola), on the island of Korčula in today's Croatia. The most quoted specific date of Polo's birth is somewhere "around 1254". His father Niccolò was a merchant who traded with the Middle East, becoming wealthy and achieving great prestige. Niccolò and his brother Maffeo set off on a trading voyage, before Marco was born. In 1260, Niccolò and Maffeo were residing in Constantinople when they foresaw a political change; they liquidated their assets into jewels and moved away. According to ''The Travels of Marco Polo'', they passed through much of Asia, and met with the Kublai Khan. Meanwhile, Marco Polo's mother died, and he was raised by an aunt and uncle. Polo was well educated, and learned merchant subjects including foreign currency, appraising, and the handling of cargo ships, although he learned little or no Latin.

In 1269, Niccolò and Maffeo returned to Venice, meeting Marco for the first time. In 1271, Marco Polo (at seventeen years of age), his father, and his uncle set off for Asia on the series of adventures that were later documented in Marco's book. They returned to Venice in 1295, 24 years later, with many riches and treasures. They had traveled almost .

Genoese captivity and later life

Upon the Polos' return to Italy, Venice was at war with Genoa. Genoese admiral Lamba D'Oria overwhelmed a Venetian fleet at the Battle of Curzola near the island of Korčula, and Marco Polo was taken prisoner. He spent several months of his imprisonment dictating a detailed account of his travels to a fellow inmate, Rustichello da Pisa, who incorporated tales of his own as well as other collected anecdotes and current affairs from China. The book, soon spread throughout Europe in manuscript form, became known as ''The Travels of Marco Polo'', and depicts the Polos' journeys throughout Asia, giving Europeans their first comprehensive look into the inner workings of the Far East, including China, India, and Japan.

While Polo's book describes paper money and the burning of coal, it fails to mention the Great Wall of China, chopsticks, and footbinding, making skeptics wonder if Marco Polo had really gone to China, or wrote his book based on hearsay. However, researchers note that the Great Wall familiar to us today is a Ming structure, post-dating Marco Polo's travels by more than two centuries. The Yuan rulers whom Polo served, as well as the preceding Jin and Liao Empires controlled territories both north and south of the today's wall, and would have no reasons to maintain any fortifications that may have remained there from the earlier dynasties. Other Europeans who traveled to Khanbaliq during the Yuan Dynasty, such as Giovanni de' Marignolli and Odoric of Pordenone, said nothing about the wall either.

Marco Polo was finally released from captivity in August 1299, and returned home to Venice, where his father and uncle had purchased a large house in the central quarter named ''contrada San Giovanni Crisostomo''. The company continued its activities and Marco soon became a wealthy merchant. Polo financed other expeditions, but never left Venice again. In 1300, he married Donata Badoer, the daughter of Vitale Badoer, a merchant. They had three daughters, called Fantina, Bellela and Moreta.

Death

In 1323, Polo was confined to bed, due to illness. On January 8, 1324, despite physicians' efforts to treat him, Polo was on his deathbed. To write and certify the will, his family requested Giovanni Giustiniani, a priest of San Procolo. His wife, Donata, and his three daughters were appointed by him as co-executrices. The church was entitled by law to a portion of his estate; he approved of this and ordered that a further sum be paid to the convent of San Lorenzo, the place where he wished to be buried. He also set free a "Tartar slave" who may have accompanied him from Asia.

He divided up the rest of his assets, including several properties, between individuals, religious institutions, and every guild and fraternity to which he belonged. He also wrote-off multiple debts including 300 lire that his sister-in-law owed him, and others for the convent of San Giovanni, San Paolo of the Order of Preachers, and a cleric named Friar Benvenuto. He ordered 220 soldi be paid to Giovanni Giustiniani for his work as a notary and his prayers. The will, which was not signed by Polo, but was validated by then relevant "signum manus" rule, by which the testator only had to touch the document to make it abide to the rule of law, was dated January 9, 1324. Due to the Venetian law stating that the day ends at sunset, the exact date of Marco Polo's death cannot be determined, but it was between the sunsets of January 8 and 9, 1324.

Travels of Marco Polo

An authoritative version of Marco Polo's book does not exist, and the early manuscripts differ significantly. The published versions of his book either rely on single scripts, blend multiple versions together or add notes to clarify, for example in the English translation by Henry Yule. Another English translation by A.C. Moule and Paul Pelliot, published in 1938, is based on the Latin manuscript which was found in the library of the Cathedral of Toledo in 1932, and is 50% longer than other versions. Approximately 150 variants in various languages are known to exist, and without the availability of a printing press many errors were made during copying and translation, resulting in many discrepancies.

Narrative

The book starts with a preface about his father and uncle traveling to Bolghar where Prince Berke Khan lived. A year later, they went to Ukek and continued to Bukhara. There, an envoy from Levant invited them to meet Kublai Khan, who had never met Europeans. In 1266, they reached the seat of the Kublai Khan at Dadu, present day Beijing, China. Khan received the brothers with hospitality and asked them many questions regarding the European legal and political system. He also inquired about the Pope and Church in Rome. After the brothers answered the questions he tasked them with delivering a letter to the Pope, requesting 100 Christians acquainted with the Seven Arts (grammar, rhetoric, logic, geometry, arithmetic, music and astronomy). Kublai Khan requested that an envoy bring him back oil of the lamp in Jerusalem. The long ''sede vacante'' between the death of Pope Clement IV in 1268 and the election of his successor delayed the Polos in fulfilling Khan's request. They followed the suggestion of Theobald Visconti, then papal legate for the realm of Egypt, and returned to Venice in 1269 or 1270 to await the nomination of the new Pope, which allowed Marco to see his father for the first time, at the age of fifteen or sixteen. In 1271, Niccolò, Maffeo and Marco Polo embarked on their voyage to fulfill Khan's request. They sailed to Acre, and then rode on camels to the Persian port of Hormuz. They wanted to sail to China, but the ships there were not seaworthy, so they continued overland until reaching Khan's summer palace in Shangdu, near present-day Zhangjiakou. Three and one-half years after leaving Venice, when Marco was about 21 years old, Khan welcomed the Polos into his palace. The exact date of their arrival is unknown, but scholars estimate it to be between 1271 and 1275. On reaching the Yuan court, the Polos presented the sacred oil from Jerusalem and the papal letters to their patron.

Marco knew four languages, and the family had accumulated a great deal of knowledge and experience that was useful to Khan. It is possible that he became a government official; he wrote about many imperial visits to China's southern and eastern provinces, the far south and Burma.

Kublai Khan declined the Polos' requests to leave China. They became worried about returning home safely, believing that if Khan died, his enemies might turn against them because of their close involvement with the ruler. In 1292, Khan's great-nephew, then ruler of Persia, sent representatives to China in search of a potential wife, and they asked the Polos to accompany them, so they were permitted to return to Persia with the wedding party — which left that same year from Zaitun in southern China on a fleet of 14 junks. The party sailed to the port of Singapore, travelled north to Sumatra , sailed west to the Trincomalee port of Jaffna under Savakanmaindan and to Pandyan of Tamilakkam. Describing the Pandyan kingdom under Lord Emperor Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan I as the richest empire in existence, Polo arrived during the reign of Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I, son of Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan I and one of five brother kings on the continent. Eventually Polo crossed the Arabian Sea to Hormuz. The two-years voyage was a perilous one - of the six hundred people (not including the crew) in the convoy only eighteen had survived (including all three Polos). The Polos left the wedding party after reaching Hormuz and travelled overland to the port of Trebizond on the Black Sea, the present day Trabzon.

Legacy

Further exploration

Other lesser-known European explorers had already travelled to China, such as Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, but Polo's book meant that their journey was the first to be widely known. Christopher Columbus was inspired enough by Polo's description of the Far East to visit those lands for himself; a copy of the book was among his belongings, with handwritten annotations. Bento de Góis, inspired by Polo's writings of a Christian kingdom in the east, travelled in three years across Central Asia. He never found the kingdom, but ended his travels at the Great Wall of China in 1605, proving that Cathay was what Matteo Ricci (1552–1610) called "China".

Commemoration

The Marco Polo sheep, a subspecies of ''Ovis aries'', is named after the explorer, who described it during his crossing of Pamir (ancient Mount Imeon) in 1271. In 1851, a three-masted Clipper built in Saint John, New Brunswick also took his name; ''the Marco Polo'' was the first ship to sail around the world in under six months. The airport in Venice is named Venice Marco Polo Airport, and the frequent flyer program of Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific is known as the "Marco Polo Club". The travels of Marco Polo are fictionalised in Brian Oswald Donn-Byrne's ''Messer Marco Polo'' and Gary Jennings' 1984 novel ''The Journeyer''. Polo also appears as the pivotal character in Italo Calvino's novel ''Invisible Cities''. The 1982 television miniseries, ''Marco Polo'', directed by Giuliano Montaldo and depicting Polo's travels, won two Emmy Awards and was nominated for six more. Marco Polo also appears as a Great Explorer in the 2008 strategy video game ''Civilization Revolution''.

Cartography

Marco Polo's travels may have had some influence on the development of European cartography, ultimately leading to the European voyages of exploration a century later. The 1453 Fra Mauro map was said by Giovanni Battista Ramusio to have been partially based on the one brought from Cathay by Marco Polo:

See also

Chronology of European exploration of Asia

Silk Road, which Marco Polo traveled.

1284 Yuan expedition to Sri Lanka

''Did Marco Polo go to China?''

Notes

References

Bibliography

(Article republished in 2006 World Almanac Books, available online from History.com)

Marco Polo. (2010). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved August 28, 2010, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/468139/Marco-Polo

Further reading

(Original from the University of Wisconsin - Madison) ''The Travels of Marco Polo'' — Volume 1 and Volume 2, written by Marco Polo and Rustichello of Pisa, were published by Project Gutenberg (Young Adult novel)

Television

''In the Footsteps of Marco Polo'' is a 2009 PBS documentary about two friends (Denis Belliveau and Francis O’Donnell), who conceived of the ultimate road trip to retrace Marco Polo's journey from Venice to China via land and sea. A 1982 miniseries featured Ken Marshall and Ruocheng Ying. The 2007 television miniseries, ''Marco Polo'', starring Brian Dennehy as Kublai Khan, and Ian Somerhalder as Marco, portrays Marco Polo being left alone in China while his uncle and father return to Venice, to be reunited with him many years later.

External links

The birthplace of Marco Polo

National Geographic Marco Polo: Journey from Venice to China

In the Footsteps of Marco Polo: A Journey through the Met to the Land of the Great Khan

Category:Italian Roman Catholics Category:1254 births Category:1324 deaths Category:13th-century explorers Category:Expatriates in China Category:Explorers of Asia Category:Explorers of Central Asia Category:Venetian explorers Category:Venetian merchants Category:Italian travel writers Category:People from Venice (city)

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