Italian grandmother sets off on 22000km walk in footsteps of Marco Polo

Vienna Cammarota leaves behind three daughters and three grandchildren, on her epic journey to China. Photo / Supplied, Vienna Cammarota, Facebook

A 72-year-old hiker has embarked on a 22,000km journey from Venice, following in the footsteps of her hero Marco Polo.

The Italian Hiker Vienna Cammarota left the birthplace of the legendary explorer yesterday on the first leg of the epic journey to Beijing. The route will take her though 15 countries on the way to the Chinese capital along the medieval trade route.

The three-year trail follows the route taken by the Italian explorer 750 years ago. All going to plan, Cammarota will reach Beijing by December 2025.

She leaves behind three daughters, and grandchildren, who will help her reach Beijing. They will send parcels of food and clothes as she needs them.

You cannot hike two continents on a shoe-string budget.

Talking to local media, she said that she has saved 40,000 Euros for the three-year ordeal.

"But I will look for hospitality to save as much as I can and where I can," she said.
This is not her first literary-inspired tramp, although it is her most ambitious.

She has previously walked the length of Nepal to Everest, travelled the Biblical route of Jesus through Palestine, and followed the wandering German philosopher Goethe's books across the Italian Alps.

"I love history, culture and archaeology, and I walk in order to see and recount, but above all to listen."

Apart from reading her copy of Marco Polo's diary, the former civil servant for the town of Cilento says she will pass the time by performing mental arithmetic, she told the Euro-Cities blog.

"I love numbers and I use them when I walk. It supports me not to be afraid, to clear my mind," she said.

All going to plan, she will reach Beijing by her 75th birthday.

Vienna Cammarota departs on her 22000km 'walk for peace'. Photo / Supplied

"In all likelihood, the journey will cover a distance of about 22,000km, but I don't exclude deviations to take into account the changes that may have occurred along the Silk Road."

Following the route taken by her hero, she says the purpose of the trip is a "walk for peace". She will carry Ukrainian and Italian flags on a mission to unite populations from West to East.

"There will be really challenging moments, such as facing the cold in Mongolia, but I'm ready," she told media

'The million steps' of Marco Emilio Polo

Merchant Marco Polo left Venice in 1271, aged just 17.

He's widely considered the grandfather of travel writing and his book The Travels of Marco Polo - also known as 'The Million' - is still widely read.

Captured by the stories shared by traders, on the Silk Road, he decided to follow the ancient route spice route overland. It was a trip that filled his imagination and is believed to be the first European to have written an account of visiting Beijing.

He writes of meeting dragons and unicorns, sized "not at all by any means less than an elephant" and "men who have tails more than a palm in size".

While these odd encounters probably result from mistranslation and 'Chinese whispers' - Cammarota is prepared for anything on the 22000km trip.