Voyages and travels of Marco Polo

Follow the remarkable journey of a young Venetian who leaves home at seventeen and travels with his father and uncle into the little-known world of thirteenth-century Asia. From the bustling trading port of Ormus, the travelers cross Persia, the mountain valleys of Badakhshan, and the immense Gobi Desert, facing long distances, unfamiliar customs, and the hardships of medieval travel.

Their destination is the court of Kublai Khan, the powerful ruler whose empire stretches across China and Central Asia. Quick-minded and curious, Marco Polo learns languages, studies the peoples and places he encounters, and earns the Khan’s confidence as an envoy and commissioner. Along the way, he records vivid impressions of distant cities, landscapes, religions, trade, and imperial life, offering listeners a fascinating window into a world that was still largely unknown in Europe. It is both an adventure across continents and an early work of travel reporting, filled with encounters that continually expand the boundaries of the familiar.