In part 1 of our series, we first take a look at the journey of Marco's father and uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo Polo, who traveled to China and met the great Kublai Khan. We then follow the Polo family as they prepare for a return mission into the heart of the Mongol Empire. Website: https://explorerspodcast.com/marco-polo/ Map: https://explorerspodcast.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/polo-map1a.png People and Places Marco Polo - Venetian merchant and explorer Niccolò Polo - Father of Marco Polo Maffeo Polo - Brother of Niccolò, uncle of Marco Kublai Khan - Emperor of the Mongol Empire Teobaldo Visconti - Papal Legate in Acre - later Pope Gregory X Venice - City State in Italy. Home of the Polos Constantinople - Former capital of the Byzantine Empire Acre - City on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea in modern-day Israel Ayes - City on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea in modern-day Turkey Khanbaliq - Capital of Mongol Empire (modern-day Beijing) Bukhara - City on Silk Road located in modern-day Uzbekistan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices