Marco Polo was the most famous traveller of his time. His voyages began in 1271 with a visit to China, after which he served the Kubilai Khan on numerous diplomatic missions. On his return to the West he was made a prisoner of war and met Rustichello of Pisa, with whom he collaborated on this book. The accounts of his travels provide a fascinating glimpse of the different societies he encountered: their religions, customs, ceremonies and way of life; on the spices and silks of the East; on precious gems, exotic vegetation and wild beasts. He tells the story of the holy shoemaker, the wicked caliph and the three kings, among a great many others, evoking a remote and long-vanished world with colour and immediacy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":20758,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"product_cat":[231],"product_tag":[],"composite_virtual":false,"composite_layout":"","composite_add_to_cart_form_location":"","composite_editable_in_cart":false,"composite_sold_individually_context":"","composite_shop_price_calc":"","composite_components":[],"composite_scenarios":[],"bundled_by":["20135"],"bundle_stock_status":"instock","bundle_stock_quantity":null,"bundle_virtual":false,"bundle_layout":"","bundle_add_to_cart_form_location":"","bundle_editable_in_cart":false,"bundle_sold_individually_context":"","bundle_item_grouping":"","bundle_min_size":"","bundle_max_size":"","bundled_items":[],"bundle_sell_ids":[],"yoast_head":"\n