Between 1260 and 1262 when it was built, the Palazzo was the seat of the city’s power. Then it became the customs office; housing the powerful St. George’s Bank for about four centuries, before moving to its present site at the Autorità Portuale. There are two distinct elements; the medieval element was restored by the architect d’Andrade in the 19th Century, and a 16th Century wing with lively frescoes, which have recently been restored and cleaned to the original designs. Marco Polo was a prisoner here of the Republic of Genova and this is where he dictated his famous ‘Milione’.