Following Marco Polo's Silk Road

Book excerpt: Following Marco Polo's Silk Road is Brian and Jill Lawrenson's personal account of their adventure-filled journey as they pursue the historical legend and mythic hero, Marco Polo. Beginning in Italy, Marco Polo's point of origin, they embark on a sometimes light-hearted, sometimes perilous journey along the celebrated Silk Road, named for the series of trade routes used to connect China to the Mediterranean world and North Africa during the 3rd Century and beyond. Along the way, Brian and Jill explore the modern peoples and cultures that have grown up in Marco Polo's footsteps and uncover the truths vs. the myths of the actual voyages of this famed Italian explorer. Told as part travelogue and part narrative quest, Following Marco Polo's Silk Road tells an intimate and thrilling tale of wanderlust, the exploration of human diversity and the love of pure adventure for adventure's sake. This book will please travel fans and anyone who loves the romance of history.