itinerary - History Lab

Zheng He

ad_hlab_min — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 12:41:03 +0000

Zheng He is a 15th-century Chinese admiral. Known for having commanded one of the largest fleets in history, his name is linked to a hypothesis, later denied, about the discovery of the Americas by the Chinese. He was born in 1371 in the Mongolian province of Yunnan, from a Muslim family. Ten years later the Chinese empire occupies the province, and young Zheng He is captured. He grows up at court as a royal eunuch. He is playmate and advisor to Prince Zhu Di, the future Yongle Emperor. In 1402 Yongle came to power. A period of political and cultural growth begins for the Ming dynasty. With the aim of extending China’s influence beyond its borders, Yongle has a massive imperial fleet built. Zheng He is named admiral.
At the command of about 300 ships, with 28 thousand men under his orders, he enters history for the 7 great oceanic expeditions that he leads between 1405 and 1433. The first three expeditions are intended to expand the Chinese sphere of influence in the basin of the Indian Ocean. Zheng He lands in Malaysia, India and Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. The admiral is distinguished by the skill with which he manages diplomatic relations, while not giving up more drastic means in case of difficulty. During the second expedition, he forcibly quells a revolt in Ceylon and takes Alagonakkara, king of the island, prisoner. With the fourth and fifth expeditions, Zheng He goes further west. He leads the fleet towards the Persian Gulf and Arabia, until it touches the coasts of East Africa.
After visiting Mecca, the crew arrives in present-day Kenya. In exchange for porcelain and silk, Zheng He brings specimens of zebras and giraffes home, as evidenced by drawings of the time. The sixth expedition is the best known. The imperial fleet leaves again for Arabia and Africa, to accompany the foreign emissaries back to their lands. Then he returns to China. However, there is another version of the story: in 2002, former British naval officer Gavin Menzies claims that Zheng He, circumnavigating Africa, landed in America before Christopher Columbus. The proof would be the discovery of a map of the time.

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Travel of Oderico from Pordenone

ad_hlab_min — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 12:41:03 +0000

Missionary of the Order of Friars Minor.

The diary of his journey to the East (1318-1330), written on his return by Fra Guglielmo di Solagna, is one of the most surprising that medieval odeporetic literature has left us. The story was intended for Pope John XXII who then resided in Avignon, whose curia was particularly interested in establishing relations with the East.

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Anselmo Adorno

ad_hlab_min — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 12:41:03 +0000

Pilgrim, ambassador, politician of Genoese origin who from Bruges, together with his son Giovanni, embarks on a journey to the Holy Land, described in detail in return (1470-1471).

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Ludovico de Varthema

ad_hlab_min — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 12:41:03 +0000

Writer, Italian traveler: he was the first Westerner to enter the city of Mecca.

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The journey in the modern age

ad_hlab_min — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 12:41:03 +0000

Elisabetta Serafini accompanies us through the travelers’ diaries to discover the conditions of traveling in Europe between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

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History in a museum – Palazzo Poggi Museum (Unibo). The great journeys and geographical discoveries

ad_hlab_min — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 12:41:03 +0000

The itinerary is dedicated to I and II grade secondary school classes (11-19 years) and tells the theme of the great travels in the modern age, with an in-depth study on collecting and the spice market as the main reasons for geographical explorations (Part I). In the second part of the video, the itinerary addresses the political and economic reasons that gave rise to the long ocean voyages, with a focus on the techniques and tools used, as they are also witnessed at the Palazzo Museum.

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Francigena route

ad_hlab_min — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 12:41:03 +0000

More than 3000 kilometers, from Canterbury to Rome and Santa Maria di Leuca, to walk step by step on mountain paths, mule tracks, rural and secondary roads, cypress-lined dirt roads or among majestic pines. Under your feet are the oldest streets of these beautiful countries. Streets paved with river stones worn by the passage of time, until you reach the “cobblestones” of Rome. The trail will take you through villages where all roads lead to Rome. The official route of the Via Francigena is the safest, and was carefully designed to be traveled by all ages.

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Gold and Salt routes

ad_hlab_min — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 12:40:53 +0000

From the first extractions of the metal that date back to over 6000 years ago in the area of northern Africa, the Indus Valley, Mesopotamia and the eastern part of the Mediterranean, we will focus on its use in Egyptian culture (economic, political and religious role ), in particular on the role assumed in the process of divinization of the pharaohs and the birth of the cities up to its monetary function (Lydia, western Asia Minor from 560 BC to 546 BC, first minting of gold coins by King Croesus), to Etruscan and Roman civilizations (apex of excellence in the use of gold to make objects even before coins, emphasizing its industrial function). Transversely up to its current use and trade: eg. in Italy with the law n. 7 of 2000 aimed at liberalizing the market, allowing all Italians to buy and sell it. The “Via del Sale” is a network of small detours. Its path is very ancient and winds through Piedmont, France and Liguria, where once traders transported the salt from the coast to the hinterland.

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