The Travels of Marco Polo · Character
Giovanni Villani
Also known as Villani, G. Villani
- Minor
- First seen · Book 1 · Ch. 11
He is a historian looking outward at the restless sweep of the world, attentive to the stories and books through which distant peoples become known. There is a careful, archival quality to his presence: the sense of someone intent on preserving what others might let pass.
- Gender
- male
- First appears
- Book 1 · Ch. 11
- Books
- 1
Giovanni Villani was a Florentine historian whose chronicle refers readers to Friar Hayton and Marco Polo’s book, the Milione, when discussing the Tartars. Inspired in part by the grandeur he witnessed in Rome during the Jubilee of 1300, he began his own work soon after Marco’s book was written. His life ended in the great plague of 1348, but his writing helped carry Marco’s account into another historian’s record.
Description
Villani is identified as a Florentine historian, but the text gives no physical description. His build, complexion, hair, eyes, facial features, age, and clothing are unspecified. A visual portrayal can suggest a reflective chronicler through a composed, observant bearing, while leaving the particulars of his appearance open.
Connections
Family & partnersFriends & mentorsRivals
Marco Polosubject
Villani refers readers to the book called Milione as an account of Tartar power and dominion, noting Marco's long residence among them.
Story so far
BOOK 1The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1
Appearances
Meet Giovanni Villani in Bookworm
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