Il Milione: an Italian book for intermediate learners (B2)
Marco Polo · adapted by Alessio Insegnante · CEFR level B2
Marco Polo's classic (~1298), rewritten for learners of Italian at level B2: calibrated sentences, footnotes, a final glossary and comprehension questions in every chapter.
Ebook free with Kindle Unlimited · $4.99 · also in 6×9 paperback
The plot of Il Milione
In 1271 the young Marco Polo leaves Venice with his father and uncle, both merchants, bound for the East. After years of travel along the Silk Road he reaches the court of Kublai Khan, Great Khan of the Mongols, who takes him into his service for almost twenty years.
Deserts, fabulous cities, paper money, stones that burn: Marco dictates his memories to his fellow prisoner Rustichello da Pisa, in a cell in Genoa. Thus was born the most famous travel book of the Middle Ages, part chronicle, part wonder.
Why read Il Milione to learn Italian
The short chapters work like travel cards: each one a city, a people, a wonder — perfect for focused reading sessions. The vocabulary of geography and trade is useful and concrete, and the passato remoto is introduced in consistently clear contexts.
Inside this reader
CEFR adaptation
The text is fully rewritten for level B2, with controlled vocabulary and syntax, while staying faithful to the original plot.
Footnotes and glossary
Footnotes on difficult words and a final glossary, so you can read independently without a dictionary.
Comprehension questions
Every chapter ends with questions to check understanding, just like in class.
Paperback and ebook
6×9 paperback on cream paper, or Kindle ebook. The same text also lives in the ti app.
Language focus: what you practise
In this level-B2 edition you mainly practise the imperfect and past subjunctive, hypothetical clauses of possibility, the passive and indirect speech. The vocabulary revolves around travel, trade and geography: the key words, with translations, are in the glossary below and recur throughout the text, so you learn them in context.
Essential glossary (Italian · English · Dutch)
| Italian | English | Dutch |
|---|---|---|
| il mercante | merchant | de koopman |
| il viaggio | journey | de reis |
| la seta | silk | de zijde |
| il deserto | desert | de woestijn |
| la corte | court | het hof |
| la meraviglia | wonder | de verwondering |
| la moneta | coin | de munt |
| la prigione | prison | de gevangenis |
About the author: Marco Polo
Marco Polo (1254–1324), a Venetian merchant, crossed Asia all the way to China and came back to tell the tale. For centuries readers wavered between belief and doubt: today Il Milione is considered a precious source on the medieval world.
Details and difficulty level
B2 is upper-intermediate Italian: complex syntax, subjunctive and conditional structures, shades of register. This reader suits learners who already read in Italian and want to tackle the great classics with structured support. Format: 6×9 paperback on cream paper or Kindle ebook; 20 chapters with footnotes, a final glossary and comprehension questions. All level B2 books →
Frequently asked questions
What level of Italian do I need to read Il Milione?
This edition of Il Milione is rewritten for CEFR level B2. B2 is upper-intermediate Italian: complex syntax, subjunctive and conditional structures, shades of register. This reader suits learners who already read in Italian and want to tackle the great classics with structured support.
Is this Marco Polo's original text?
No, it is an adaptation: the plot and spirit of Marco Polo's original remain, but vocabulary and syntax are rewritten for level B2, with footnotes, a final glossary and comprehension questions at the end of every chapter.
Which formats is it available in?
Paperback (6×9, cream paper) and Kindle ebook on Amazon. The ebook is free to read with Kindle Unlimited. The same text also lives in the ti app, with vocabulary translated into 14 languages.
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Il Milione also lives inside the ti app, with tap-to-translate vocabulary in 14 languages and animated scenes. On the site you'll also find 700+ free Italian exercises and the blog for Italian learners.
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