A 72-year-old woman from Italy has embarked on an epic journey between Venice and Beijing on foot, following the path of legendary merchant and explorer Marco Polo along the ancient Silk Road.
Vienna Camarota set off from Venice, Polo's hometown, on Tuesday and will cover some 22,000 kilometres as she walks across 15 countries, aiming to reach Beijing in December 2025.
Camarota has been an avid hiker for more than 30 years and has previously ventured across Tibet, Palestine, Israel, Patagonia and Madagascar on foot. Her most recent adventure took her on a journey to medieval towns in the southern Italian regions of Campania, Calabria and Basilicata.
Speaking before setting off, Camarota said she was ready for her latest challenge, during which she would encounter a huge contrast of terrain and climate en route to countries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. However, she also said she was a little nervous.
"It's always the same feeling at the beginning of a trip," she said."
In addition to her backpack, she is equipped with a GoPro camera to capture footage of her trip and a phone that includes an app through which her doctor can check her health remotely. "There will be really tough times, like dealing with the cold in Mongolia, but I'm ready," she said.
Kamarota will cross into Slovenia from northern Italy before heading to Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Iran, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and finally China . By the time he reaches Beijing he will be 75 years old.
He hopes, he said, to be hosted by people he meets along the way. "Not because I am trying to save money, but because I want to have direct contact and be able to tell the history of the countries through the people who host me," she pointed out.
The 72-year-old has been inspired by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the German writer who published diaries of his travels in Italy between 1786 and 1788 in his book "The Journey to Italy", and of course by Marco Polo. Polo set out from Venice in 1271 at the age of 17 and spent more than two decades travelling through Asia on a route later known as the Silk Road. Probably the most famous European to travel this route, he wrote a book about his adventures, which became one of the world's first bestsellers.
"After Von Goethe, I was fascinated by Marco Polo," explained Camarotta. "I love history, culture and archaeology and I walk to see and narrate, but mostly to listen."
It is worth noting that she carries Italian and Ukrainian flags, describing her journey as a "walk for peace" as she tries to "unite populations".
Source: huffingtonpost.gr
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