In the Footsteps of Marco Polo

In 1993, Denis Belliveau and Francis O'Donnell embarked on a historic journey to retrace Marco Polo's 25,000-mile route from Venice to Anatolia, Persia, India, and China, eschewing modern air travel in favor of traversing the land and sea. Their quest began in Venice, Italy, where they obtained holy oil from Jerusalem during the Easter celebration, a nod to Marco Polo's account. From there, they sailed to Turkey, crossed into Afghanistan with the help of local allies, and continued on foot through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and China, documenting nearly 200 places described by Marco Polo along the way.