Italy is to retrace the classic journey that took Venetian explorer Marco Polo on horseback to China, according to Italian news agency ANSA.
A team of horsemen from the Italian central city Perugia is gearing up to retrace the Venetian explorer's route along the ancient Silk Road, using the same kind of horses Marco Polo did on his historic journey to the great 13th-century Mongol emperor Kublai Khan.
We'll face the same kind of challenges our illustrious predecessor did, traveling over extremely varied terrain: plains, valleys, high mountain tracks and deserts, said the leader of the expedition, Piero Lapiana.
The expedition includes veterinary researchers from Perugia University who will gauge how the horses perform on the various stages of the mission, crossing 16 countries in 15 months starting this autumn.
The horses will be the hardy maremma breed, from the marshlands of Lazio and southern Tuscany -- similar to the tough pack-horses used by Marco Polo, his brother Maffeo and father Niccolo'.
Before the expedition sets out, they will be trained to tackle rough terrain by experts from Perugia University's Equestrian Studies Center.
The team, which will include a surgeon, a photographer and a staff of vets, will also conduct research on the various horse breeds to be found along the route today.
Marco Polo is widely remembered as the first Westerner to reach China, but he was in fact preceded by his father and brother, also Venetian traders, who met the Khan in 1266.
The teenage Polo joined them on a second journey in 1271.
He became a favorite of the Khan, who employed him on trade and diplomatic missions for 17 years.
Overall, Marco Polo spent 24 years in the East, recording his adventures in the famous book Il Milione.
意大利计划重走威尼斯探险家马可•波罗的骑马来华之著名旅程，据意大利安莎通讯社报道。一队探险者将从意大利中心城市佩鲁贾出发，使用马可•波罗在他具有历史意义的旅程中所骑的马，沿着古老的丝绸之路，重走威尼斯探险家去往13世纪伟大的蒙古忽必烈汗皇朝的路线。 “我们将面临杰出的前辈所经历的挑战，历经极其多样化的地形：平原，山谷，高的山脉和沙漠”探险队的领队，皮耶罗•拉彼阿纳（Piero Lapiana）说。这支探险队包括佩鲁贾大学的兽医研究人员，他们将观测马匹是如何在不同的阶段执行从今年秋天开始，历经15个月，穿越16个国家的任务的。这种马是选自拉齐奥沼泽和南方托斯卡那的吃苦耐劳的马雷马，品种和马可•波罗，他的兄弟马飞阿（Maffeo）和父亲尼可罗（Niccolo）骑的驮马近似。在探险队出发之前，他们将接受佩鲁贾大学马术研究中心专家的训练， 学习如何应对高低不平的地形。此队将包含一个外科医生，一个摄影师和一个兽医工作人员，同时也会研究现在沿途发现的各种各样的马类品种。马可波•罗被广泛认为是第一个到达中国的西方人，事实上，他的父亲和兄弟也是威尼斯商人在他之前于1266年就拜访过大汗。十几岁的波罗在1271年加入了他们的第二次旅行。他深受大汗信任，担任贸易和外交使者长达17年。总之， 马可•波罗在东方生活了24年，并将他的见闻记录在著作《百万》中。
