Slavery was not a large part of Venetian culture or Venetian history, but there were slaves in Venice.
“Barbo (Ramo Corte, Corte, Ramo Corte seconda)” from Curiosità Veneziane by Giuseppe Tassini
We don’t know the exact date of the death of Marco Polo, but his last will and testament is dated January 9th, 1323 M.V.
Ciao – the Italian informal salute – is actually Venetian, and has its roots in the medieval slave trade.