6 Marco Polo(1254–1324)
The legendary Italian explorer started his adventure when he was 17 years old and traveled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. Luckily he was a talented writer too, and his travel experiences were vividly recorded in the book, The Travels of Marco Polo, which provided Europeans with fascinating insights into the social and cultural fabric of the Eastern world. Readers can get a comprehensive look at China, Persia, India, Japan and Asian cities.