Marco Polo Spiral Guides are for travellers who have little time to prepare for a trip, don't want to miss anything, like to be inspired by great ideas for exciting days out and love all things ultra-practical and easy to use. At just $24.95 each, these inexpensive travel guides also include a street atlas and a separate pull-out map for easy navigation.
Did Marco Polo reach China? This richly illustrated companion volume to the public television film chronicles the remarkable two-year expedition of explorers Denis Belliveau and Francis O'Donnell as they sought the answer to this controversial 700-year-old question. With Polo's book, The Travels of Marco Polo, as their guide, they journeyed over 25,000 miles becoming the first to retrace his entire path by land and sea without resorting to helicopters or airplanes. Surviving deadly skirmishes and capture in Afghanistan, they were the first Westerners in a generation to cross its ancient forgotten passageway to China, the Wakhan Corridor. Their camel caravan on the southern Silk Road encountered the deadly singing sands of the Taklamakan and Gobi deserts. In Sumatra, where Polo was stranded waiting for trade winds, they lived with the Mentawai tribes, whose culture has remained unchanged since the Bronze Age. They became among the first Americans granted visas to enter Iran, where Polo fulfilled an important mission for Kublai Khan. Accompanied by 200 stunning full-color photographs, the text provides a fascinating account of the lands and peoples the two hardy adventurers encountered during their perilous journey. The authors' experiences are remarkably similar to descriptions from Polo's account of his own travels and life. Laden with adventure, humor, diplomacy, history, and art, this book is compelling proof that travel is the enemy of bigotry—a truth that resonates from Marco Polo's time to our own.
In the late 1290s, an imprisoned Venetian merchant dictated an account of his amazing adventures in China. That book, The Travels of Marco Polo, was an instant success. Though scholars once derided Polo's tale, today's historians accept it as accurate. The original manuscripts are long lost, but now, for the first time, a modernized hybrid edition has been compiled from translations by William Marsden and Henry Yule. Comprising nearly 150 chapters, this superbly illustrated, silk-bound abridgement of this seminal work is a treasure worthy of its subject.--Publisher description.
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We all ?know? that Marco Polo went to China, served Ghengis Khan for many years, and returned to Italy with the recipes for pasta and ice cream. But Frances Wood, head of the Chinese Department at the British Library, argues that Marco Polo not only never went to China, he probably never even made it past the Black Sea, where his family conducted business as merchants.Marco Polo's travels from Venice to the exotic and distant East, and his epic book describing his extraordinary adventures, A Description of the World, ranks among the most famous and influential books ever published. In this fascinating piece of historical detection, marking the 700th anniversary of Polo's journey, Frances Wood questions whether Marco Polo ever reached the country he so vividly described. Why, in his romantic and seemingly detailed account, is there no mention of such fundamentals of Chinese life as tea, foot-binding, or even the Great Wall? Did he really bring back pasta and ice cream to Italy? And why, given China's extensive and even obsessive record-keeping, is there no mention of Marco Polo anywhere in the archives?Sure to spark controversy, Did Marco Polo Go to China? tries to solve these and other inconsistencies by carefully examining the Polo family history, Marco Polo's activities as a merchant, the preparation of his book, and the imperial Chinese records. The result is a lucid and readable look at medieval European and Chinese history, and the characters and events that shaped this extraordinary and enduring myth.
Venice is one of the world's most magical and unique destinations, a city where life is lived on the water and getting lost is all part of the fun. Inside Insight City Guide Venice: A fully-overhauled edition by our expert Venice author. Stunning photography that brings this breathtaking city and its people to life. Highlights of the city's top attractions, from the frenzy of Piazza San Marco to the picturesque backstreets and canals less trodden by mass tourism. Descriptive area-by-area accounts cover the whole city from the the church-heavy Zattere district to the backwaters of Dorsoduro. A comprehensive Travel Tips section includes all the practical information you will need for your trip, including getting around on the canals and cultural activities. Detailed, high-quality maps throughout will help you get around and travel tips give you all the essential information for planning a memorable trip. About Insight Guides: Insight Guides has over 40 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps as well as picture-packed eBooks to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture together create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure. 'Insight Guides has spawned many imitators but is still the best of its type.' - Wanderlust Magazine
Experience the wonderful atmosphere of Venice, this traffic-free city: whether walking along its alleys, crossing its bridges or relaxing in a gondola on the Grand Canal, this practical, pocket-sized guide shows you all the highlights. The Insider Tips reveal where you can discover out-of-the-way canals and islands aboard traditional wooden barges.
DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Venice and the Veneto takes you by the hand, leading you straight to the best attractions the region has to offer. The fully updated guide includes unique cutaways, floor plans, and reconstructions of Venice's major architectural sights. DK's insider travel tips and essential local information will help you discover the best of Venice and the Veneto, from local festivals and markets to day trips around the countryside. Detailed listings will guide you to hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops for all budgets, while transportation maps and a chart showing the walking distances between sights will help you get around the city. What's new in DK Eyewitness Travel Guides: -New itineraries based on length of stay, regional destinations, and themes. -Brand-new hotel and restaurants listings including DK's Choice recommendations. -Restaurant locations plotted on redrawn area maps and listed with sights. -Redesigned and refreshed interiors make the guides even easier to read. With hundreds of full-color photographs, hand-drawn illustrations, and custom maps that brighten every page, DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Venice and the Veneto truly shows you this destination as no one else can. Now available in PDF format.
MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TIME ON EARTH Discover Venice & the Veneto with this comprehensive, entertaining, 'tell it like it is' Rough Guide, packed with exhaustive practical information and our experts' honest independent recommendations. Whether you plan to explore the world's first Ghetto, take a stroll around Burano or voyage out to far-flung Torcello, The Rough Guide to Venice & the Veneto will show you the perfect places to explore, sleep, eat, drink and shop along the way. Features of The Rough Guide to Venice & the Veneto: Detailed regional coverage: provides in-depth practical information for every step of every kind of trip, from intrepid off-the-beaten-track adventures, to chilled-out breaks in popular tourist areas. Regions covered include: San Marco, Dorsoduro, San Polo and Santa Croce, Cannaregio, Central Castello, Eastern Castello, The Canal Grande, the northern islands, the southern islands, Padua and the southern Veneto, Vicenza, Verona and around, and the northern Veneto. Honest independent reviews: written with Rough Guides' trademark blend of humour, honesty and expertise, and recommendations you can truly trust, our writers will help you get the most from your trip to Venice & the Veneto. Meticulous mapping: always full colour, with clear numbered, colour-coded keys. Navigate the Canal Grande, Dorsoduro and many more locations without needing to get online. Fabulous full-colour photography: features a richness of inspirational colour photography, including the distinguishing 99m-high Campanile bell tower - the tallest structure in the city - and the breathtaking town of Bassano del Grappa, its vibrant 12th century buildings reflecting back at themselves in the shimmering river below. Things not to miss: Rough Guides' rundown of Venice, the Veneto and Verona's best sights and top experiences. Itineraries: carefully planned routes will help you organise your trip, and inspire and inform your on-the-road experiences. Basics section: packed with essential pre-departure information including getting there, getting around, accommodation, food and drink, health, the media, festivals, sports and outdoor activities, culture and etiquette, shopping and more. Background information: comprehensive Contexts chapter provides fascinating insights into Venice & the Veneto, with coverage of history, Venetian painting, sculpture and architecture and books, plus a handy language section and glossary. You might also be interested in our Rough Guide to Italy, Rough Guide to Europe on a Budget and Rough Guide Audio Phrasebook and Dictionary to Italian. About Rough Guides: Rough Guides have been inspiring travellers for over 35 years, with over 30 million copies sold. Synonymous with practical travel tips, quality writing and a trustworthy 'tell it like it is' ethos, the Rough Guides' list includes more than 260 travel guides to 120+ destinations, gift-books and phrasebooks.
