Palazzo San Giorgio - History of the First Modern Bank

When you start your tour at Caricamento, you can't miss the brightly painted palace with St. George slaying the dragon. This is Palazzo San Giorgio.

A Prison for Marco Polo

Before it was a bank, it was a prison. In 1298, the Genoese defeated the Venetians at the Battle of Curzola. One of the prisoners was Marco Polo.

• The Legend: It sits within these walls that he dictated his "Travels" (Il Milione) to his cellmate Rustichello da Pisa.

The Bank of Saint George

In 1407, it became the Casa delle Compere e dei Banchi di San Giorgio—arguably the world's first modern public bank. It managed the debt of the Republic and was so powerful it virtually owned Corsica and Crimea.

The Facade

The stunning frescoes you see today are a 19th-century restoration (the originals faded), but they capture the glory of "La Superba".