Marco Polo departs for the East

1271

The seventeen-year-old Venetian set out with his father Niccolo and uncle Maffeo on a journey that would last twenty-four years. They carried a letter from the new pope, a phial of holy oil, and the intention of selling what they could along the Silk Road. Their route took them through Armenia, Persia, and the Pamir mountains before they finally descended into the vast plains of China.